


The Shades of Spades

by Zeplerfer



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Cardtalia, Cardverse, Fantasy Politics, Genderbending, M/M, Royalty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-15 15:38:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 56,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3452561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeplerfer/pseuds/Zeplerfer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the Kingdom of Spades, the clocks have chosen the rulers for centuries. Yet many distrust the most recent choice of Queen and revolutionaries have begun to question the system itself. Caught between the demands of love and duty, Arthur and Alfred must find a way to save Spades and themselves before it's too late.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Blue Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stuart = Scotland  
> Gavan = Wales  
> Seamus (SHAY-mus) = Ireland  
> Chun-Yan = fem!China

_In which two important clocks are introduced, a birthday ball is held, and a young man becomes Queen._

Arthur glanced up at the clock and groaned. Still fifteen minutes left to go.

He leaned against the wall and watched the other guests with barely disguised boredom. In their finery and frippery, the wealthy young men and women danced amid the glowing candlelight, elegant music, and flowing drinks. Since he was nearly 17, Arthur had tried to steal a drink for himself, but his mother had warned the servers to watch out for him. Apparently she didn't want a repeat of what had happened at Seamus's Birthday Ball.

Arthur scowled, annoyed that Seamus could drink as much as he wanted while Arthur couldn't. He couldn't drink, he didn't want to dance, and he took no pleasure in flirting with the lovely young women (who mostly avoided him as soon as they saw his scowling face). The only thing left to do was sulk against the wall and wait for the party to end. He would have skipped it, but his mother had insisted. And so he was stuck watching his brothers having fun without him. Stuart and Gavan enjoyed the attentions of young ladies drawn in by the allure of wealth and power. Even his brothers Seamus and Peter had no lack of dance partners, despite the fact that Seamus was generally considered a bit of a drunkard and Peter was only eight.

Stuart's red hair flashed past and Arthur could see his oldest brother taking a smoking break near the doorway. For once, his mother had actually prevailed on her eldest son to not smoke indoors. Even surrounded by a haze of smoke, he drew in a crowd of admirers who laughed at his jokes and cooed at the "charming" brogue Stuart had adopted during his training in the north of Spades. Arthur personally thought that it sounded ridiculous.

Gavan Kirkland, the birthday boy himself, danced happily beneath the elegant chandeliers at the center of the castle's Grand Hall. He seemed oblivious to the fact that midnight was fast approaching, but Arthur knew better. He could see the greedy glances his brother threw at the clock when no one was watching.

Arthur looked up at the clock again. Ten minutes left.

"I'm bored," a voice whined behind him. Arthur glanced over to see that Peter had joined him in their little corner of the room. The boy looked tired and cranky. Arthur could sympathize.

"Only seven minutes now," he replied.

"Is he going to be Queen?" Peter asked. "Mom said he might be."

Arthur snorted. "I hope not."

They both looked up at the clock. The last dance had ended and the guests had begun to gather around the golden and ornate grandfather clock that stood in a place of honor on the far wall of the room. Five minutes left.

In the Kingdom of Spades, the clocks choose the rulers. Or to be more precise, two clocks choose the rulers: the Queen's Clock, which was the current center of attention, and the Princess Clock, a smaller, but no less magnificent piece standing at its side. As long as the King, Queen, and Jack reigned, the three hands of the Queen's Clock softly ticked, marking the steady passage of their rule. During these times of a full royal house, the Princess Clock chose their successors. The hands pointed to 12, until the 18th birthday of the chosen heir. On that day, at precisely midnight, the correct hand would begin to move, signaling the selection of a suitable heir. The second hand for the Jack, the minute hand for the Queen, and the hour hand for the King.

Spades, despite its small size, was a wealthy country. The tiny island nation had established territorial strongholds throughout the world, claiming lands based on its undisputed control of the sea. As a result of numerous wars with the other Kingdoms of Cards, Spades had gained and lost many lands, but consistently maintained its wealth, its power, and its naval supremacy. For as long as anyone could remember, Spades had been ruled by a King, a Queen, and a Jack. Each position controlled one aspect of ruling the country, ensuring an orderly distribution of power. The Jack managed internal finances and administration, the Queen dealt with trade and war, while the King was the figurehead for the country.

Although it was a system that had served Spades well, even royalty are not immune to accidents. When a King, Queen, or Jack died before their time or before they resigned, their hand on the Queen's Clock stopped ticking once it reached midnight and the country began the wait for the 18th birthday of the new royal. And so it came to pass in the 12th year of King Victoria's reign that a terrible fall storm sank the royal vessel bearing the King and Queen on their return voyage from a diplomatic mission to the Kingdom of Clubs. The hour and minutes hands froze at 12 on the Queen's Clock on the day they died, leaving no doubt that the two royals had drowned along with the rest of the crew. The country mourned the loss of their King and Queen, who had ably ruled during a time of peace and plenty.

But in the midst of the nation's mourning, the youngest of the nobles carefully hid their thrill of excitement. The Queen's Clock did not leave royal seats open for long, even in times of peace. It was the tradition among noble families to host an 18th birthday party for their child in the elegant Grand Hall. At midnight, all of the party guests would pause to watch the clock breathlessly for a sign of movement—the birthday celebrant hoping for a hand to move and all of the younger guests hoping it would not. Although no one would be crass enough to discuss it openly, many nobles placed bets on who would be chosen. Several months had already passed since the shipwreck, and everyone expected a new King or Queen to be selected soon.

At two minutes until midnight, a short woman with her dark brown hair in two buns on her head entered the room and waited not too far from where Arthur was standing, well out of the way of the other revelers and guests. Arthur looked up and regarded the woman with surprise. He'd seen Jack Chun-Yan Wang before, but he had never met her in person.

Arthur cleared his throat and gave her a wry smile. "You know, for your sake I hope my brother isn't chosen. He's a right pain in the arse."

Chun-Yan glanced at Arthur in surprise. "It's not my place to chose, aru," she said, shrugging. They both lapsed into silence. Chun-Yan stared into the distance, likely thinking about the finances for the country and hoping she would not have to shoulder the burdens of running the nation single-handedly for much longer.

Arthur heard a noise of disappointment run through the crowd as midnight came and went without movement from the Queen's Clock other than the steady ticking of the second hand. For a quarter hour, Gavan also refused to move, insisting that the other watches in the room had the wrong time and that it was not yet midnight. Then he said that perhaps the hour hand _had_ moved and they just needed to wait a little longer. Gavan did not give up until Lord Kirkland firmly proclaimed at half-past midnight that _he_ was leaving and Gavan could either join them in the carriage or walk home.

They rode home in chilly silence. Arthur did not smile (not a difficult task, since he smiled so rarely), but inside he was secretly pleased that for once he was not the one receiving the brunt of his father's disappointment. As glanced out the window, it occurred to Arthur that it was rather strange the Jack had smiled when she saw that Gavan had not been chosen. He would have thought she was desperate for some help running the country. Perhaps she had been inclined to believe Arthur's words about Gavan being an asshole.

* * *

On Arthur's 18th birthday, the Kirkland family respect Arthur's wishes to skip the tradition of holding a Birthday Ball. He had few friends to invite and no marriage prospects (his furious scowl and grouchy attitude tended to scare off even the most determined social ladder climbers). The family probably would have skipped visiting the clock altogether, but it was a long-standing tradition, and the Kirklands believed firmly in tradition. At a quarter to midnight, Arthur and his parents entered the large room and waited in silence. At a few minutes before midnight, the Jack entered, looking much wearier since the last time Arthur had seen her over one year ago. She still looked young, despite the fact that she had ruled as Jack for over a decade, but something in her eyes seemed impossibly old and wise at the same time.

"Jack Wang," Lord Kirkland said, arching an impressively large eyebrow, "You really didn't need to come tonight."

"Lord Kirkland, I attend all celebrations, aru," Chun-Yan replied with a hint of reproach. She turned towards Arthur, "Where is your little brother tonight?" she asked.

"You mean Peter?" Arthur asked, surprised the Jack had remembered him from their brief discussion over a year ago. Then again, people said that very little escaped this Jack's notice, which was probably the reason Spades had remained so stable for the past year and a half despite lacking two of its key rulers. "He's at home sleeping, it's past his bedtime."

"I have a younger brother myself, aru."

"Really? I hope he's better-behaved than Peter. Peter can be a right terror."

"You have not met Hong," replied Chun-Yan with a half smile.

"Well, looks like it's time to—" Lord Kirkland began to speak, but fell silent as he looked at the Queen's clock. The others turned to stare at the clock, where the minute hand ticked merrily, already marking two minutes past midnight.

"That's not… were there any other nobles with birthdays today?" Lord Kirkland asked, an unusual hesitancy in his voice.

Chun-Yan looked similarly stunned for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. "The King's Clock can confirm the choice," she said, pulling a small, spade-shaped clock out of her pocket. When it hung from the golden chain, the face of the clock appeared blue, but as Chun-Yan touched it the clock cast a golden glow. Chun-Yan silently removed the chain from her belt and handed the clock to Arthur.

As soon as his hands touched the clock, Arthur saw himself standing in a gray version of the Grand Hall. The ground shook beneath him and the Hall was split down the middle by a yawning chasm. The fissure spread from the Castle into the harbor, cutting the capital city of Ace in two beneath a gray sky. Then in a flash he was on the docks staring at ships in the distance, sailing on calm blue seas under a brilliant blue sky. In the harbor, he could see two blond boys on a ship, pulling in a net full of fish. One of the boys waved, but before he could say anything, Arthur was standing in the Kirkland family home while it went up in flames.

Arthur came back to himself and realized that no one had moved. The visions had passed before his eyes between one second and the next. His parents were still staring at the King's Clock, glowing in Arthur's hands. Chun-Yan finally broke the silence. "Welcome, Queen Arthur," she said calmly.

"Would you like this back?" Arthur finally managed to say, indicating the glowing watch in his hand. Thousands of questions whirled in his, primarily 'Why me?' and 'What did I just see?', but this was the only one that came to his lips.

Chun-Yan simply shook her head and sighed. "It's yours for now."

Arthur looked up at his parents, who still seemed to be in a state of shock. "Oh honey, I'm so proud," Arthur's mom said, the first to find her voice, while Lord Kirkland stood silently. She reached out her arms for a hug and Arthur returned the embrace. "I guess we should have had a party," she mused.

"It's fine," Arthur reassured her, secretly glad that his brothers were not present. He was pretty sure at least one would have tried to murder him. He turned to Chun-Yan, "What happens now?" he asked.

"I will show you to the Queen's quarters and we make plans for the coronation in the morning." Chun-Yan inclined her head towards the door and began walking.

"Good night, mother," Arthur said. He spared one more glance at his still-silent father, before he turned on his heels and followed Chun-Yan to the inner section of the castle and his new life as the Queen of Spades.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I changed the name. I wrote "The Shades of Spades" back in 2012 before I'd ever heard of 50 Shades of Gray, but the titles have always been a little too similar for my tastes. The ending is going to be slightly different too.
> 
> I decided to use Nyotalia China for a few reasons, but mostly because I found that I couldn't write an interesting Yao. Lord Kirkland isn't a country, he's just a bit of an asshole (it runs in the family, obviously).
> 
> Translations:
> 
> Xìnghuì, xìnghuì (幸会,幸会) = "pleased to meet you" or "how do you do" (formal).


	2. Royal Blue

_In which a Queen is crowned, three Queens are introduced, three doors slam shut, and Arthur's brothers air their grievances._

Because Jack Chun-Yan had been preparing for a new Queen or King to be chosen, Arthur's coronation was scheduled for only one month after his memorable 18th birthday. Chun-Yan would have chosen an earlier date, but the Queens of the other three Kingdoms planned to attend and needed time to travel.

Arthur found he did not have to broach the issue of the strange visions and risk looking like a lunatic, Chun-Yan raised it herself. She explained that the King's Clock generally granted a vision on first contact, although she admitted that Arthur's visions were unusually vivid. Arthur suspected it had something to do with his ability to see fairies and other magical creatures.

"I saw a blue rosebush with many tiny roses on one side and a few large roses on the other," said Chun-Yan, describing her own vision.

"What do you think it meant?"

"I believe it means we are favoring some territories over others. I have tried to be fairer in my distribution of resources, aru."

Arthur nodded, that seemed reasonable. "What do you make of my visions?"

"The one with trading ships and fishing boats is good, it means favorable trade and prosperity. The other two… well, the good news is that they don't have anything to do with the other Kingdoms. Queens usually receive a premonition of war."

"Do you think there's any chance they mean a literal earthquake and fire?"

Chun-Yan shrugged, her expression inscrutable.

Arthur spent the month cramming in every lesson he could manage on the politics and history of the other Kingdoms. Thanks to his wealthy upbringing he already knew everything of importance about his own Kingdom and a great deal of military strategy, but since the Queen was in charge of foreign affairs, Arthur still had a lot of learn about the other nations.

The studying was a good excuse to stay away from his brothers. They were royally pissed at their newly-royal brother. Arthur found, to his great relief, that Chun-Yan was a good teacher and capable of explaining the country's finances, even though math had never been Arthur's strong suit. Occasionally Chun-Yan would give Arthur lessons in the garden where they could sip tea and watch their younger brothers play together. Peter and Hong seemed to be the only safe topic for personal conversations. Otherwise, they spoke very little of their families. Chun-Yan had a younger sister, but she didn't want to talk about her and Arthur did not pry.

Few people seemed happy to have Arthur as Queen. The other nobles knew that their children would have been better choices and his own brothers despised him more than before. Even Chun-Yan, who would soon benefit from a lessened workload, didn't seem very excited, although Arthur didn't get the sense that it was personal. Fortunately for Arthur, having lived with the quiet disappointment of his own family for 18 years, he found no difficulty in ignoring the harsh words and incredulous looks. He maintained his aloof demeanor, spending every spare moment in his studies.

On the day of the coronation, Arthur held his head high. He was dressed in rich velvets and silks, all in deep shades of blue and violet. Spades symbols embroidered in gold thread lined the edges of his jacket. Arthur hadn't done the embroidery himself, but he had enough skill to admire the masterwork. The coronation took place on a dais in the Grand Hall, across from the Queen's Clock that had determined Arthur's fate. His brothers and the rest of his family sat near the front, his older brothers with barely restrained jealously. But Arthur maintained his calm and sailed through the ceremony with perfect composure. In a way, he felt he owed his brothers some small measure of thanks for teaching him how to effortlessly ignore cruel taunts and nasty glares. And when all was said and done, _he_ was becoming Queen, and they had to sit and watch.

Arthur tried to ignore his family and focused his attention on the three most important guests in the room—the three visiting Queens. The Queens and their entourages were easy to spot amongst the blues and violets worn by the nobles of Spades because each dressed in their country's signature colors. Arthur spent time examining each in turn. First was the Queen of Diamonds, a delicate blond girl accompanied by her protective brother, the Jack of Diamonds. Despite the difference in age and sex, the two were nearly identical—both with short blond hair, green eyes, and elaborate orange and yellow clothing. Nearby was the Queen of Clubs, a tall, statuesque woman with long, light brown hair wearing a low-cut green dress. She was also accompanied by her Jack, a fashionably-dressed man with dark hair and purple eyes. The most difficult one to spot was the Queen of Hearts, a short, dark-haired man who sat very still and drew no attention to himself. His clothing—a red kimono—was unusual, but elegant.

At the very end of the ceremony, Jack Chun-Yan placed the silver crown with sapphire jewels upon Arthur's head and handed Arthur a sapphire scepter. Arthur recited the Queen's oath, and when he rose, the crowd clapped with various levels of enthusiasm (the area near his older brothers being a black hole of enthusiasm).

Arthur wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel with the weight of the Queen's crown upon his head. Some sort of patriotic love for his country? A spiritual connection to the land itself? Instead, he simply felt resigned to his position and glad that the ceremony was nearly over. He knew his duty and he would carry out his tasks to the best of his considerable abilities.

After the ceremony, Arthur invited the visiting Queens to take tea with him in his garden, as it was traditional for Queens to meet with each other immediately after the coronation. Each Queen introduced him or herself in turn and they shared light pleasantries. This was not the time to discuss key trade and diplomatic issues, but rather an opportunity to get to know the other Queens personally, to take their measure as people and to try to make friends and allies.

"Elizabeta, are you certain your Jack wouldn't also like to join us?" Arthur asked politely. From what he knew of the Queen of Clubs, being solicitous of her Jack was the easiest way to enter her good graces. Arthur had extended the invitation to Jack Vash—even though Arthur wasn't sure it was entirely within tradition to have Jacks at the meeting as well—simply because Vash refused to be out of eyesight of his precious sister. At this moment, Vash was sitting on a bench out of earshot, but nevertheless carefully watching his sister.

"You have a piano in the ballroom, correct?" Elizabeta asked. Arthur nodded, and Elizabeta smiled and continued, "Then Roderich will be fine."

"Your garden is lovely, Arthur," said Lili, in her sweet and gentle voice.

"Thank you," Arthur replied with genuine sincerity—his garden was one of his few true pleasures at the castle. "I wish I had more lilies in my garden, but I'm afraid you're the only one." Lili was easy to please—simply respond to her with kindness. The difficult part was not to compliment her too much, lest her brother take offense.

Arthur glanced over at Kiku, who had remained largely silent as he sipped his tea. The way to appeal to Kiku was by showing refinement, learning, and culture. "I have chrysanthemums as well," Arthur said to Kiku, adding "Your namesake is very elegant."

"I certainly think so, Arthur-san, although they can be difficult to grow," Kiku replied. He flashed an appraising look, seemingly impressed by Arthur's knowledge and gardening ability.

"All these lovely flowers—do you grow them for a special someone?" Elizabeta asked playfully.

Arthur flushed slightly, "Ah, no, just for my own enjoyment."

"A pity," replied Elizabeta, "You're a handsome young man."

"Oh look at the time," Arthur said quickly, hoping to change the subject. "Dinner will be served soon, so perhaps you want some time to refresh yourself beforehand?"

The Queens agreed and left, thanking Arthur for the lovely tea and the polite conversation. Kiku held back for a few extra seconds and said to Arthur in a soft voice, "It is best not to share overmuch with Elizabeta, she tends to take an intense interest in personal matters." Arthur nodded, suspecting that Kiku was sharing his advice out of personal experience.

Dinner went smoothly, mostly because Arthur's brothers had _not_ been invited. His parents sat at the table looking perplexed and proud in equal measure—after all, they had dearly hoped for a son to be Queen, following in Alice Kirkland's footsteps, they had just never expected it to be this one. Arthur sat near Kiku, the only Jack-less Queen, and they discussed their mutual love for poetry and literature in all forms. Arthur caught Elizabeta grinning at them slyly, but couldn't quite understand her interest.

"What is Jack Feliciano like?" Arthur asked politely.

"Ah," Kiku replied with an equally polite smile (he always wore a polite smile, Arthur had quickly realized), "Feliciano is very… unique. He loves cooking and art. He is very open-hearted and shares easily." Arthur read between the lines and knew that Kiku was acknowledging his own difficulty in sharing, warning Arthur not to ask any personal questions. Having a conversation with Kiku was a delicate matter, filled with endless potential traps and hidden meanings.

Arthur chose cooking as a safe topic. "Cooking? I rather enjoy cooking myself, I think I'd like to meet Feliciano."

"If you like cooking pasta, Feliciano will be delighted to meet you too," Kiku said, a genuine, albeit small, smile reaching his lips. Kiku was clearly fond of his Jack, even if he would never express the sentiment directly.

After dinner came the dancing, the part of the evening Arthur had been most dreading. As he feared, the ballroom was filled with many women eager to dance with the new Queen. Arthur danced first with Lili, touching her as little as possible during the dance to avoid incurring her brother's wrath. He next danced with Elizabeta, who was a light and lively dancer. Roderich—who had taken over the room's piano after declaring the Spades pianist to be 'hopeless'—didn't seem to mind. Arthur glanced over at Kiku, who indicated with a slight shake of the head, that no, he would not care to dance. Obligations now fulfilled, Arthur resigned himself to dancing with the hordes of young women hoping to catch the Queen's eye. At least most of them were capable dancers. Arthur hated nothing more than people stepping on his toes.

Arthur recognized many of his dance partners from his brother Gavan's birthday party. He wished they would ignore him now as they had ignored him then. Instead, Arthur was stuck dancing until midnight, when he was finally allowed to escape the party and sink into his own bed with a tired sigh.

On his second day as Queen, Arthur planned to meet with the ambassadors from the other three kingdoms. Chun-Yan explained their role. "Officially, the ambassadors are here to deal with issues concerning their country, however, all of the important work is negotiated directly, so they have little actual importance, aru. Unofficially, they also do a bit of spying. But the real reason they are here is because the people in their own countries want them far away. Just try to be polite for a few minutes and you won't have to speak to them ever again," she advised.

Chun-Yan stood well back when Arthur knocked on the door belonging to the Ambassador of Clubs. A beautiful young woman with long silver hair and a frilly apron and skirt opened the door. She brandished two knives directly at Arthur and said, "I am here to protect big brother and if you ever harm him I will kill you, understood?"

"Right, right, I understand," Arthur said hurriedly. The woman nodded and slammed the door shut in his face.

Chun-Yan sighed. "Natalia wants to protect her brother King Ivan very much. She says she plans to marry him some day, aru."

"Marry her _brother_?" Arthur asked incredulously. "And I thought my family had problems," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head in pity for Natalia's brother.

They walked towards the next ambassador's room when a happy thought occurred to Arthur. "Does that mean we could make my brothers ambassadors?"

Chun-Yan coughed. "Ah, we already have ambassadors at the moment…"

"Oh? Who are they?"

"Our ambassador to Clubs is Mei, my sister. Diamonds is Tuan, my cousin. Hearts is Yong Soo, also a cousin," Chun-Yan said the final name almost fearfully.

"Annoying relatives, I take it?" Arthur asked.

"Tiān a, you have _no_ idea, aru," said Chun-Yan with a long-suffering tone.

By this time, they had reached the door for the Ambassador of Hearts and Arthur knocked on the door, once again noting that Chun-Yan kept her distance. Apparently this was going to be another difficult ambassador.

"Who are you, bastard?" an angry man with brown hair, brown eyes and a beet-red face asked as he yanked open the door.

"Arthur Kirkland, Queen of Spades."

"Get the hell away from me!" the man replied and for the second time that day a door was slammed shut in Arthur's face.

"Hmm, Romano seems particularly angry today, Antonio must be visiting, aru," Chun-Yan remarked.

"He must really hate Antonio," said Arthur.

"No, I would not say that," Chun-Yan replied carefully.

"Why not?" Arthur asked, but then thought better of it. "On second thought, I don't even want to know."

By the time they reached the third door, the one for the Ambassador from Diamonds, Arthur was ready for just about anything. He knocked on the door and waited. The young woman who opened the door had dark skin and wore her long brown hair tied in ribbons at the side of her head. She looked nice enough and Arthur had a brief moment of hoping that one of the ambassadors was something approaching normal.

She looked Arthur up and down. "God, you're ugly," she finally declared. "Are those eyebrows or did something crawl on your face and die?"

Arthur gritted his teeth. "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Arthur Kirkland, Queen of Spades."

"Yeah, I know who you are. No one else walks around with eyebrows like those. I'm Angelique, from Diamonds, a country that appreciates beauty." She smirked.

"Is that why they sent you away?" Arthur asked, with a smirk of his own.

Angelique glared. "Hey! I'm an ambassador to bring beauty to foreign lands!"

Arthur tilted his head. "That sounds like something King Francis would say. Are those the sweet words he used to convince you to leave?" Arthur could see from Angelique's angry expression that his words had hit their target and continued to speak. "Francis is remarkably good at charming women, particularly when he's ready to move on to the next one. It's so embarrassing to keep your former lover cluttering up the palace."

Angelique turned red out of embarrassment or anger, most likely both. Arthur examined her face and added as an afterthought, "You know what I've learned about King Francis? He likes young women, young men, and pastries. He likes them hot and fresh. He gobbles them up and he quickly moves on to the next. You shouldn't take it so personally."

"Shut up!" Angelique yelled and slammed the door.

"Ai ya, that was not necessary," Chun-Yan reprimanded.

"Necessary? No. Enjoyable? Certainly." Arthur smirked. "And I've succeeded in having all three doors slammed in my face. Is that a record?"

"Not the goal, aru."

When Arthur and Chun-Yan arrived at Arthur's study, the three people Arthur least wanted to see were waiting for him: his older brothers. Stuart held a cigarette casually in his hand. The study was already filled with smoke, so his brothers had been waiting for some time.

"Can we have a private discussion, Arthur?" asked Stuart with his wolfish smile.

Chun-Yan frowned and quickly took her leave. She didn't seem any happier to see the Kirkland brothers than Arthur was.

"What do you want?" Arthur asked as he moved to stand behind his desk. He felt better with a piece of oak between him and his brothers.

Stuart leaned forward onto the desk and used his cigarette to create a scorch mark on the wood, grinning all the while. "What's the matter, fairy-boy? Too good for yer brothers now that you're the queen?"

Arthur crossed his arms across his chest. "I find it hard to believe that any of you are here for a family chat," he said.

"We want tae make it clear that this changes nothing. Use yer new power against us an' we _will_ make yer life a living hell."

"Is that all?" Arthur asked calmly.

"I think that's enough for now."

Stuart and Gavan left the room without a further word, but Seamus hung behind. "I don't know how ye messed up the clock, but I'm going to find out and I'm going to stop ye," he growled, before following his two brothers out.

Arthur lowered himself into his chair and sighed. Six people angry at him and it was only his second day as queen. He hoped it would get better. He feared it would not. And he still worried about his vision of a gaping chasm and a burning house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tuan = male!Vietnam
> 
> Translations  
> Tiān a = "Oh god" or "Oh my god"  
> āi ya = an exclamation of frustration or annoyance


	3. Red Herring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> João = Portugal.

_In which three years pass, alcohol flows freely, marriage is discussed, and Arthur gains a secret admirer._

The first few months of being Queen proved difficult, but manageable. When neither earthquake nor fire appeared, Arthur began to relax. He quickly fell into his new routine and impressed the other nobles with his diligence and hard work. Even if very few people actually liked the aloof Queen, all but the most biased recognized that Arthur was capable and intelligent. Unfortunately, Arthur's older brothers remained among the later group of incessant naysayers, still convinced they could do a better job, even as one year passed, and then another, and then a third. As commander of the Spades Navy, Arthur dealt with that problem the best way he knew how—by making sure to assign his brothers to positions far, far away from Ace, the capitol city of Spades.

Yet as the years passed, more and more voices raised the same concern: why did Spades still lack its King?

Some began to wonder in hushed whispers if the Queen's Clock was broken. They even speculated that Arthur had tampered with the clock to ensure his own selection and that in so doing he had destroyed its ability to select a king. They noted that Arthur had not had a birthday party in the Grand Hall, so there were no witnesses other than his own parents if he had chosen to manipulate the clock's inner workings. Arthur retorted that the King's Clock had chosen him as well and that he had never seen that clock until Chun-Yan handed it to him on the night of his 18th birthday. But no matter how logical his explanations, the rumors continued to spread.

Arthur started to dread spending any time with the Royal Council and their sidelong glances. Fortunately, Arthur's duties as Queen occasionally required travel to the territories of Spades. These trips quickly became Arthur's favorite part of the job. He loved traveling by sea and he felt quite a home with sailors, who liked their alcohol almost as much as Arthur did. Drinking on a ship with sailors who just loved a good time was a chance for Arthur to let loose and live a little, like the young man he actually was, as opposed to the old man he felt like some days. It reminded him of his rebellious days at boarding school.

One night on a trip to the northern part of Spades, after several glasses of grog, Arthur decided that the first mate's repeated flirtatious glances held the promise of an interesting evening. Arthur resolved to investigate further by inviting the young man to his cabin for a glass of rum. He knew he had interpreted the glances correctly when the first mate agreed with a bold wink. Once in his cabin, Arthur poured out two glasses of rum while the young man introduced himself as João. They both drank in silence while Arthur openly admired João's curly brown hair, light green eyes, and well-tanned body. João returned the favor with an appraising look of his own. Arthur preened a little, knowing how many people considered his green eyes beautiful, his pale skin exotic, and even his eyebrows handsomely distinctive since they were a prominent marker of his family's wealth and power.

"Been to port lately?" Arthur asked as he sat down on his bed, one hand idly loosening the buttons at his collar.

"Not in quite some time." João smiled knowingly.

"A pity, I know how sailors _enjoy_ their time in port." They both grinned, knowing exactly why sailors enjoyed port. It wasn't for the alcohol. Or at least, it wasn't _only_ for the alcohol.

"Well, I find that _I_ can have a good time still on ship," João replied.

"Mmm," Arthur agreed, knowing exactly what João meant and enjoying very much where the conversation was headed. "Well then sailor, shall we have a good time?" He asked with half-lidded eyes as he leaned back on the bed.

João licked his lips and smiled. Within a few moments they were both having a very good time indeed. Arthur realized he missed this type of casual tryst—boarding school had been a wonderful time for experimentation. Now, however, his duties as Queen always seemed to keep him from satisfying his own desires. But here he had the freedom of being just another ship passing in the night with no need to think of commitment or responsibility. João clearly understood the importance of discretion, since he returned to his own room before morning, and Arthur woke up alone.

* * *

When Arthur returned to Spades, he decided that trade negotiations were not the most difficult test of his diplomatic abilities. No, that honor belonged to tea time with his mother.

"Arthur, darling, you're 21 years old, why haven't you settled done with someone nice yet? I know all sorts of young ladies dying to meet you," his mother said as they sat sipping tea in Arthur's garden. Arthur instantly regretted allowing her to enter his sanctuary. His mother continued, oblivious to Arthur's discomfort. "You're young, you're handsome, you're wealthy, you're Queen, and you're a Kirkland. There's no reason you couldn't make a suitable match and every reason why you should."

"I'm rather busy being Queen, mother," Arthur replied. "And I've met many of your young ladies, and they don't interest me." Arthur _had_ tried to humor his mother, but he could easily tell that the young women were primarily interested in the reflected glory of being the Queen's consort. Arthur didn't consider himself a romantic sap (no matter what his brothers said), but he wanted someone who appreciated Arthur for himself.

"I realize you have your duty to Spades, but don't forget, you also have a duty to your family," his mother reprimanded. After a pause, she added, "If you would prefer a young gentleman, there are plenty of them too. It makes the heirs slightly more difficult, but the family has managed before."

"Mother, you're starting to sound like Elizabeta." Arthur scowled, thinking of Elizabeta's recent efforts to try to set him up with the King of France. (' _He's the King of a different country,' Arthur had complained. 'So what?' Elizabeta had replied. 'You need a King, he's a King, it's perfect!'_ )

Arthur's mother smiled. "I like that girl. Such a good family. A pity she's taken."

"She's also the Queen of a different country," Arthur reminded his mother, "Not to mention, _married_. I expect that would be rather a problem."

"I don't know, I think you would make a lovely pair. Or perhaps that nice boy Kiku?" Arthur's mother had been very taken with the polite young man at the coronation dinner, especially when she realized the large importance he put on ancestry and honoring his elders. She had advised Arthur to learn from Kiku's example.

"Mother, please stop pairing me with other Queens."

"Arthur, I really do think it's time you found someone."

"You have four other sons! Perhaps you should work on helping them first? We all know they're the ones you want continuing the family line." Arthur realized as soon as he spoke that he didn't mean to sound so waspish and bitter. His mother was trying to show an interest in his life the only way she knew how, even if Arthur had no desire for her match-making efforts. But it still hurt that his family had always paid more attention to their other sons, only caring about Arthur now that he was Queen. His mother looked upset, so Arthur sighed and apologized, resting his head in one hand. "I'm sorry, Mother, I'm just stressed from my duties. I appreciate your concern."

Arthur's mother, for her part, accepted the tentative apology with calm grace. "Of course, dear, I've taken enough of your time, I should be going."

The rest of the day went equally poorly. Arthur and Chun-Yan snapped at each other, both stressed by the extra work that came from the lack of a king. Chun-Yan noted that she had done all _three_ jobs for the year and a half it had taken before Arthur was crowned, so Arthur had nothing to complain about. For his part, Arthur was upset by the new rumors he had heard. Other nobles were beginning to speculate that it was taking so long to find a new king because the Queen's Clock could not find anyone who could work with Arthur. Arthur suspected his brothers had started these rumors, but he also began to worry that they held an ounce of truth. Many nobles had taken to calling Arthur the Ice Queen behind his back for his cold and harsh manner.

And so it was, after his mother's visit, his argument with Chun-Yan, and after learning of the new rumors, that Arthur entered his study in a particularly bad mood. He spotted a blue rose lying on his desk with a great deal of surprise. Wrapped around the stem was a note in rough handwriting that said "I think you're a good Queen."

Arthur was unsure what to make of the note. He thought at first that it had to be some sort of trick, but there didn't seem much to the trick. He ended up putting the rose in a vase, placing the note in his nightstand, and falling asleep without giving any further thought to the matter.

A couple weeks later, Arthur found another rose in his study, this time with the message "You work really hard." Arthur snorted at the simple message, but was happy that at least one person had noticed. After that, every two or three weeks, Arthur would find a new rose and a new message in his room. He kept the rose in a vase by his window and kept the growing pile of notes in his drawer. They weren't love notes—just kind compliments from someone who apparently thought well of Arthur. "You're very smart." "Your garden is beautiful." "You're a credit to your country." "Thank you for being such a good Queen."

Arthur realized, as soon as he began to look forward to the notes, that these gifts could still be a cruel trick. The notes could turn nasty or disappear and then Arthur would be even sadder than before. Even if they weren't a trick, there was something troubling about how well the note-giver understood Arthur. The notes were telling him exactly what he most wanted to hear. Arthur decided to put his intelligence to use and figure out who was sending the notes. The easiest answer was that it was one of the cleaning maids. They had access to the rooms during the day and the roses always appeared while Arthur was gone. Arthur surreptitiously checked the maids' schedules, he quickly realized that the maids constantly alternated schedules and that his room had been cleaned by different maids on the specific days when he had found roses in his room. Unless the roses were a conspiracy of several maids (possible, but unlikely), it seemed another culprit was involved.

The question of access was rather difficult. Unlike his bedroom, his study wasn't actually locked during the day, since members of the Royal Council or Chun-Yan might need to see Arthur's books and maps at any time. Anyone who entered this part of the castle could place the note, especially since they left roses so rarely. All of which meant that it would be very difficult to narrow down who was leaving the notes.

Next, Arthur considered the flower itself. Blue roses were exceedingly common in Spades—indeed, they were the national flower. However, roses only stayed in season for a month. The roses had started in rose season, but were now out of season. Whoever was giving the roses had access to a greenhouse. Arthur resolved to pay more attention to the blue roses in the royal greenhouse since it was the most likely source. Arthur smiled, realizing he could ask his fairy friends to watch to see who came to take blue roses. Several weeks later, when the next rose arrived, Arthur was disappointed to learn that his fairies had spotted no one other than the official gardener cutting blue roses. Either the 70 year-old gardener was his secret admirer (Arthur sincerely hoped not) or he was going to have to come up with a new tactic.

Arthur tried visiting his study more often on days when he expected roses to arrive, but the note-giver never appeared. Eventually, a new round of work arrived to steal all of Arthur's time, leaving him exhausted and too tired to play detective games any longer. He resolved to solve the mystery of the blue roses at a later time.


	4. Talk a Blue Streak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Logan = Australia  
> Sven = Netherlands
> 
> I wasn't really sure what countries to stick in Spades, so I decided to just add the Netherlands so that Arthur could be guarded by the crazy hair club.

_In which the entire chapter is basically one conversation and Arthur fails at one objective, but succeeds at another._

When Chun-Yan suggested a short diplomatic trip to the Kingdom of Hearts, Arthur leapt at the chance to travel again. This was his chance to leave some of his work behind. It was also an opportunity to get away from the biting commentary of the other nobles (as if it was his fault that Spades still lacked a king!).

Although Arthur had no need for a personal guard at the castle, on a diplomatic trip—even one to a friendly country—he had to bring guards, to demonstrate his importance and ensure his safety. The master of the guards selected three strong young men who had enough sailing experience that they wouldn't be completely useless on the ship.

The first introduced himself as Logan. He was deeply tanned and had wild brown hair. His thick eyebrows and green eyes marked him as a distant cousin of the Kirkland family. Logan cheerfully explained that his grandparents had been kicked out of the family for their criminal past when Arthur inquired into his status in the Kirkland family. The next, named Sven, had even wilder blond hair, which hardly seemed possible. He rarely spoke and was always smoking a pipe filled with a substance Arthur didn't recognize. He wore a blue-and-white striped scarf, even though the weather was still quite warm for fall. The final and youngest of the three introduced himself as Alfred. Compared to the other two, his hair was practically tame, although one tuft of hair insisted on defying gravity. Considering Arthur's own unruly hair, he couldn't help but think that the four of them would make quite a sight when they landed in Hearts. Perhaps they could blame their untamed hair on the ocean breeze.

After boarding, the three guards quickly made themselves useful preparing the ship for launch while Arthur talked with the captain. It would take a week to reach Hearts with the current calm seas. As the ship pulled away from Ace's harbor, Arthur felt his spirits lift. It felt good to be on the sea again.

Arthur enjoyed his time on the ship. He ached to steer the ship and plot the course, but it wouldn't be appropriate for the Queen to steal the captain's job. The ship necessarily brought people into close contact, but Arthur had the luxury of a private cabin for escape. Inside his cabin, he read books and prepared for his meeting with the Hearts royalty. Outside, Arthur simply enjoyed the sight of the sea and the handsome young sailors. A few times, Alfred caught his glance and flashed him a dazzling smile. Arthur smiled back, thinking that this trip might turn out even better than he had initially hoped.

The last night of the trip, when Arthur spotted Alfred heading to his hammock in the crew's quarters he invited him to his cabin for a drink. "I dunno," Alfred replied, "I just tried grog and it tastes pretty nasty."

Arthur laughed. "Grog is supposed to taste nasty. You prove you're a real sailor by drinking the awful brew. However, what I have is rum, which is far better."

"Okay," Alfred agreed, smiling shyly. He followed Arthur into his cabin and sat at the chair by the small desk, dutifully waiting as Arthur poured two glasses of rum.

"Just drink it all in one go," Arthur advised and then demonstrated by downing the glass. Alfred quickly followed suit, coughing as the fiery liquid burned his throat.

"Ugh," Alfred said, when he could finally speak, looking at his glass in distaste, "I think I preferred the grog."

"Well, it does become easier with practice," Arthur admitted, pouring himself another glass. He drank it smoothly, earning an admiring look from Alfred. "I find most enjoyable things in life become easier with practice," he added in a sultry voice, smirking slightly so Alfred would understand the casual flirtation.

Alfred just continued to smile at him shyly, looking a little awestruck, and Arthur began to worry that he had misinterpreted Alfred's earlier smiles. Arthur nearly sighed. This had been so much easier with João.

Arthur decided to try again, with a slightly less subtle approach. "Do you have much experience, Alfred?" he asked with half-lidded eyes. Arthur liked to play the role of the ingénue at the beginning and then flip to a more aggressive approach once the actual touching began.

The blond idiot just smiled and shook his head. "Oh no, I just started this position last summer, they wouldn't let me join earlier."

"You joined when you were 16?" Arthur asked. He did the math and realized that Alfred was barely 17. Perhaps that wasn't too young for some people—Arthur himself had plenty of experience by that age, thanks to his wild reputation at boarding school—but Alfred seemed exceptionally naïve and innocent for a 17 year-old.

"Yep!" Alfred nodded excitedly.

"Well, congratulations!" Arthur said, giving up any hopes of his earlier plans for the night. Virgins were never much fun anyway. "What led you to join?" he asked.

"I just really wanted to serve my country," Alfred replied with complete earnestness. Arthur would have doubted most people who said that, but he believed Alfred. Alfred fiddled with his empty glass for a few moments and then looked up at Arthur and asked, "Do you like being Queen?"

Arthur paused, surprised. It seemed a natural question, but no one had ever asked him before. He hadn't even thought to ask himself that question. He had been chosen to be Queen and so of course he had done it, just like everything else forced upon him in his life. Thanks to his sympathetic listener and the two glasses of rum making their way into his bloodstream, Arthur answered with unusual honestly, "I'm… I'm really not sure. It's different from what I expected. More difficult, certainly."

"You know what I think?" Alfred asked, leaning forward with a slight flush on his face—probably from the alcohol.

"Hmm?" Arthur asked, amused by the bold question. It was a novelty to have a conversation with someone of his own age who seemed a little awed by Arthur himself but not terribly impressed by Arthur's position. Alfred hadn't even called him 'your majesty' or 'your highness' once. The lack of manners was actually refreshing.

"I think your brothers are jerks," said Alfred with a hint of anger.

Arthur stared for a long moment and then began chuckling. "I agree, although 'jerks' isn't the word I would use. I prefer 'arseholes.'" He laughed again, realizing the unintentional truth of his statement. Fortunately, innocent Alfred wouldn't spot an innuendo even if it stripped naked right in front of his face.

"I'm serious!" Alfred said. "Everyone would be happy with you as Queen but your brothers keep stirring up resentment. It's not fair."

"Alfred, I'm not laughing because I think you're wrong. I'm laughing because you've seen what many nobles haven't. And my brothers _are_ jerks."

"Well, sometimes it's easier to see that sort of stuff from the outside," Alfred replied, shrugging, but apparently mollified that Arthur wasn't laughing at him.

"Do you have any siblings?" Arthur asked. Was this how normal conversations went? His conversations of late had been filled with Queenly duties, and even before his 18th birthday he rarely spoke casually with his peers. It was nearly as intoxicating as the rum.

Alfred smiled happily. "Yep, a twin. Mattie's the sweetest kid in the world. I talked him into joining the guard with me, but he doesn't like the idea of fighting, so he mostly works with training the horses. I suppose it's not fair that I got a nice brother and you got three jerks."

"No, don't apologize for your brother. As _my_ brothers kindly remind me, life isn't fair. Since I'm Queen and they aren't, I think I can handle the unfairness."

"Maybe you should adopt some sort of bad brother distribution law. That way no one ends up stuck with all the mean brothers." Alfred grinned to show that he was teasing.

"You're right!" Arthur raised his glass as if making a royal proclamation and smirked. "By the authority vested in me as the Queen of Spades, I hereby declare that the three wankers who used to be my brothers are now _your_ brothers."

"Nooo!" Alfred exclaimed in mock horror and they laughed loudly, both a little tipsy because of the rum. It felt so easy to speak freely in the dimly-lit room, as if they occupied a little universe of their own. After they finished laughing, Alfred declared, "I've changed my mind. I think you should leave the jerks to deal with each other and let us good brothers have our own families. I think you'd make a good brother."

Arthur stared, dumbstruck. "Really?" he asked. After his experiences with his flesh-and-blood brothers, the idea that someone would _want_ to be his brother was completely foreign. It was the nicest compliment anyone had given him in years.

"Really," Alfred said as he extended his hand. After a moment, Arthur reached out and shook his hand, a genuinely happy grin on his face. "Brothers!" Alfred declared. As an afterthought, he asked, "Can I call you Arthur now?"

"Only in private," Arthur replied. He grinned. "And only if I can call you idiot."

"Aw, I thought you were supposed to be one of the nice brothers."

"That's why you're an idiot," Arthur said teasingly.

They spent the next few hours swapping childhood stories (the happy ones), sharing their likes and dislikes (mostly likes), and learning all the things that real brothers would know. Arthur learned that Alfred had grown up as a fisherman's son (the reason why he was comfortable on boats), that he was terrified of ghosts (Arthur laughed and assured him that ghosts didn't exist), and that he found the guard uniforms stuffy and uncomfortable. Arthur shared his love of writing stories (particularly stories with dragons), that he had always hoped to be a captain, and that he had many times considered banishing his brothers to life on a distant island now that he was Queen (but didn't because he wasn't a tyrant and his mother would never forgive him).

By the time they both started yawning, Arthur felt like he had known Alfred for years, like they had grown up together. It was a bittersweet feeling, because it reminded him of how miserable his actual brothers had been. Arthur had never shared so freely and so easily (although he did keep mum on the matters of fairies, sewing, and cooking), but Alfred invited easy confidences with his disarming smile and sympathetic ear. Even though Arthur knew he shouldn't give his trust so easily, he couldn't hold back his need for a friend. The loneliness Arthur had been carefully damming for years broke free when he grasped that outstretched hand. If this was what friends were like, Arthur wished he could have had more friends as a child.

After a particularly wide yawn, Alfred finally admitted, "I should probably head to bed."

"That's a good idea. Good night, Alfred."

"Good night, Arthur," Alfred said with a final shy smile as he closed the door.

The next morning, Arthur woke up with a slight headache and no regrets. He and Alfred acted like nothing had changed. And perhaps from Alfred's point of view nothing had changed; after all, Alfred was so friendly with everyone he probably thought of many people as brothers. But Arthur knew that _he_ had recognized something he needed to change within himself. The part of him that was okay with loneliness had begun to melt away and Arthur realized that he couldn't live as an island. He was only 21 years old and he already acted like a grumpy old man. It was time to reach out to others. Fortunately, they were about to arrive in Hearts, and Arthur knew just where to start.


	5. Little White Lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Monika = fem!Germany. I didn't want all of the kings to be men.

_In which Hearts receives a visitor, Arthur learns about a secret, Feliciano is traumatized, and Alfred eats scones._

Once he arrived in Hearts, Arthur's first stop was the suite of rooms reserved for the ambassador from Spades, since that was where he would be staying during his visit. The year previously, Chun-Yan had rotated two of the ambassadors, saying that it wasn't fair to make one country deal with Yong Soo all of the time. Having heard horror stories of the excitable young man, Arthur tended to agree. Yong Soo was now in Clubs and spent most of his time harassing the Jack with his terrible singing, which he claimed was invented in Spades. Meanwhile, Mei had become the ambassador to Hearts and Tuan had stayed in Diamonds, saying that he enjoyed kicking the King of Diamonds in the face whenever he got too friendly. Arthur thoroughly approved of anyone who liked kicking Francis in the face, so he supported the new ambassador arrangement.

Arthur was intrigued by the prospect of meeting the younger sister whom Chun-Yan mentioned so rarely. When he first saw her he was shocked at how young she looked, but it seemed that youthful looks were a family trait. Mei wore her long dark brown hair loose down her back, except for one curly loose strand on the side of her face. Pink plum blossoms in her hair matched her pink blouse.

Mei took in Arthur's eyebrows with a quick glance and gave him a knowing smile. "A Kirkland, hmm?" she asked, although she clearly already knew the answer. "Chun-Yan couldn't have been happy about that."

"We're not all assholes," Arthur snapped, tired of being continuously linked to the family he didn't even like. 

Mei laughed softly, holding up her hand to cover her smile. "I'm afraid none of us can choose our family… or escape them."

"Are you taking about my family or yours?" Arthur asked, curious if Mei would give him a hint to explain why she and Chun-Yan no longer talked. 

"They're one and the same, aren't they?" she asked with twinkling eyes.

"What?" Arthur asked, completely confused. He followed her to a side table and accepted a cup of tea, even if it was green, instead of his preferred black.

"What makes you think our families are so different?" she said, seeming to clarify without providing any clarification at all. It was like talking to Kiku, but worse.

"Is this one of those games where we go back and forth with questions without ever giving a straight answer?" Arthur asked, thoroughly annoyed. He had dealt with teachers who only asked questions in boarding school and it grew quickly annoying.

"Do you want it to be?" Mei asked coyly as she sipped her tea.

"Would I learn something interesting?" he replied. He didn't want to play the game, but he also refused to lose.

"What secret do you think I might tell you?"

Now Arthur was mildly intrigued. " _Is_ there a secret I should know?" 

"If there is, do you think it's mine to share?"

"Does this have something to do with why you don't speak to Chun-Yan?"

Mei frowned and set her teacup down on the table. Arthur thought she would stop and cursed himself for asking such a direct question. However, Mei quickly resumed their questions with a new one of her own, apparently changing the subject. "Have you met Hong?" she asked with a soft smile, clearly fond of her young relative.

"What does Hong have to do with anything?" asked Arthur, annoyed that they had moved away from his primary topic of interest.

"Did you like him?"

"Have you ever _seen_ him near fireworks?" Arthur asked sardonically, raising one eyebrow to convey the sense of terror felt by all those who came between Hong and his fireworks.

"Did you really _look_ at him?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think I've given you enough hints," Mei said, ending their little game and leaving Arthur even more confused. "The answer's right under your nose. Or in your case, right above it. By the way, Queen Kiku said you were welcome to go over at any time. I think he's looking forward to seeing you."

Arthur nodded, he was looking forward to seeing Kiku too. After a quick bath and change of clothes, he went over to say hello to Kiku. They had a significant amount of business to discuss over the course of Arthur's trip, but today's visit was purely a personal one.

Kiku seemed pleased to see Arthur and Arthur complimented himself on his improved ability to read Kiku's slight expressions. For example, when he remarked on the vase of plum blossoms on the table he noticed a slight blush grace Kiku's face. Arthur smiled to himself, so that was the way the wind blew. Elizabeta would be disappointed.

Arthur enjoyed looking at Kiku's "art book" collection, although even he found the books with tentacles a bit disturbing. Kiku insisted that Arthur borrow some of the non-tentacle books, happily pointing out Elizabeta's favorite section. "A good book keeps the body pure, Arthur-san," he said by way of explanation.

"And those are the books Lili-chan enjoys," he added, pointing to a different section.

Arthur blanched and approached the books with trepidation. He looked through a few and relaxed. "Oh, _fairy tales_ ," he said with relief.

Kiku smiled with a hint of a twinkle in his eye and Arthur realized that the quiet Queen of Hearts had intended to give him a bit of a scare. Well, the next time Kiku visited, Arthur would be sure to give him a scare of his own.

* * *

Arthur entered the beautiful palace kitchens of Hearts and spent a few moments simply admiring the large room filled with an amazing amount of cookware. Spades also had an impressive kitchen, but for some reason the kitchen workers always claimed there was some emergency and hustled him out of the room before he had a chance to cook. Things would be different here. The Jack of Hearts had invited him to the castle's kitchen, and Arthur was looking forward to finally having a chance to cook his delicious scones. It had been years since he made them last.

"Excuse me, miss," Arthur asked one of the nearby maids, "Do you know where Jack Feliciano is?"

"Ve~! That's me!" the maid replied, smiling with closed eyes.

"Oh, I apologize, I assumed that Feliciano was a man's name."

"Yes, it is!" the maid replied happily.

Arthur stood and stared. The young self-identified man was dressed in a pink maid's outfit with a white apron, his reddish-brown hair pulled back with a white headscarf. "Um," Arthur finally said, "you appear to be wearing a maid's outfit."

"I like these clothes, ve~!" the man in a maid's dress replied.

Arthur was somewhat tempted to flee the kitchen while his sanity was still intact, but he really wanted a chance to cook and this seemed his best option. "Oh, I see," he said, acting as if crossdressing was a perfectly normal activity. Perhaps it was here in Hearts.

"Let's start with pasta~!" Although his eyes remained closed the entire time, Feliciano managed to boil pasta and cook sauce, carefully explaining each step to Arthur, who took copious notes. They both ate some and Arthur agreed that it tasted pretty good. Even the slight compliment caused Feliciano to swell with pride. "Monika always loves to eat my pasta, ve~!" he said, sighing happily.

As Arthur began to cook, Feliciano's smile disappeared to be replaced by a very worried look. "Egg shell in the batter?" the Jack asked, biting his lip.

"Uh, gives the scones a bit of a crunch," Arthur extemporized, not wanting to explain that for some reason the eggs never seemed to crack properly for him.

As they waited for the scones to cook, the kitchen began to fill with an oily black smoke. Feliciano screamed, ran out of the room, and then waved a white flag from the doorway. Arthur pulled out the pan and waved his hands to clear the smoke. The scones might have been a slight bit overdone, but they looked okay to him. He put some on a plate, ready to offer them to Kiku and Feliciano.

"Here are my delicious scones," Arthur said proudly, presenting the plate to Feliciano. With his eyes still closed, the Jack burst into tears.

"So cruel…" Feliciano whimpered softly. "Those poor ingredients…" He was still crying as King Monika came running down the hallway.

"Feliciano, I heard you screaming," the king said, clearly worried. The Jack responded by grabbing Monika in a bear hug and crying into her chest.

"Monikaaa~! It's so terrible! I can't stand to look!" He continued bawling.

"There, there…" Monika patted the jack's back in an embarrassed manner. Her eyes widened as she looked at the blackened husks of baked goods. "What are those?" she asked. "Some sort of chemical welfare?" She looked oddly intrigued by the possibility.

"These are my scones!" Arthur replied indignantly.

"Arthur-san, would you excuse us a moment?" Kiku said quietly, also drawn to the kitchen by the sound of Feliciano's crying. His face was a neutral mask, but his eyes kept flicking back to the scones.

Arthur withdrew, still carrying his plate of scones. He could hear only a few snippets of their whispered conversation. "Terrible tragedy," Kiku said, later followed by "no sense of taste." Monika and Feliciano nodded in understanding and Feliciano stopped crying. Arthur realized that they must be talking about Feliciano. For some reason the young Jack must have lost his sense of taste and was therefore unable to appreciate Arthur's scones. Arthur nodded sadly to himself, truly it was a tragedy.

Kiku came over to Arthur a few moments later. "I'm sorry, Arthur-san," he said. "I'm afraid Feliciano is allergic to scones. It would be best if you didn't do any more cooking."

"I understand completely," Arthur said. "I'll take these back to my room." He felt sorry for the Jack, that he would never taste the glory of Arthur's cooking. Kiku looked relieved, undoubtedly pleased that Arthur hadn't taken offense at Feliciano's reaction.

Alfred was guarding the room when Arthur returned. "Oh hey, is that food?" he asked excitedly. "Can I have some?"

"Yes, you _may_ ," Arthur replied, subtly correctly Alfred's grammar.

"Awshum," Alfred replied, one scone already stuffed in his face. He snarfed it down. "Are they supposed to taste like this?" he asked.

"Of course!" Arthur replied a little defensively. He really didn't understand why everyone reacted to his scones so oddly. They were perfectly delicious scones, even if they were perhaps a tiny bit overdone and may have slightly resembled charcoal briquettes.

"Oh, okay," said Alfred before he ate the rest of the plate.

"Did you… like them?" Arthur asked.

Alfred shrugged. "I guess."

"And you don't feel like you're going to pass out for a few days, forget your own name, and then start helplessly weeping while curled in a little ball?" Arthur just wanted to be certain. After all, Gilbert still refused to talk to him.

"Uh, nope."

"Good, good." A small smile tugged at Arthur's lips, one of his rare, true smiles. It was wonderful to finally meet someone who appreciated fine cooking. Alfred smiled back happily.

The rest of the trip went well, although Arthur regretted being unable to use the kitchen. Still, it wouldn't do to start an international incident over baked goods. He mostly spoke with Kiku, enjoying their quiet conversations in-between the negotiation sessions. Arthur succeeded in getting a very good trade deal. Nevertheless, the best part of the trip was definitely Alfred's appreciation for his scones.

When Arthur returned to the castle, there was a rose waiting for him. "Welcome home," was all the note said, but it was enough to make Arthur smile. Arthur now had a new suspect for his note-giver: Alfred. A castle guard would definitely have access to the study, although it didn't solve the issue of accessing the roses. However, the next rose arrived while Alfred was away on a winter training exercise, leaving Arthur even more puzzled than before. By the time spring arrived, Arthur finally decided that his fairy friends were the ones leaving the messages—it was the sort of sweet thing they would do.

When he asked them, they merely smiled mischievously and replied, "It's a secret."


	6. Once in a Blue Moon

_In which Alfred wins a chess game, Arthur stays sober at a bar, and Chun-Yan loses her temper._

It seemed that ocean voyages were the only time that Arthur had a chance to see Alfred. The boy worked at the Castle, but Arthur couldn't simply summon him for a chat without drawing unwanted attention. Instead, he simply waited for his next voyage by ship. As Queen he inevitably found himself traveling to the other countries for trade negotiations or state visits once every few months. Spending time with the innocent young man on these trips meant that Arthur had fewer opportunities for his previous source of nautical entertainment, but he found that he honestly didn't mind the loss.

For the past several trips, Arthur had decided to broaden Alfred's horizons by teaching him chess. Arthur had enjoyed the game as a boy, although he rarely had a chance to pay any more. Alfred was surprisingly impressed by the intricate chess set, excited that each pawn had its own unique facial carving. Alfred was even more amazed when he learned that Arthur had carved the set himself.

Arthur quickly taught Alfred the rules and they played a few games on each trip. Arthur won easily, which was unsurprising given that he was playing against a complete novice. He also noticed that Alfred always took the most direct approach in the game.

On a late spring trip to Diamonds, he tried to teach the boy some strategy. "You can't always just rush straight for a piece—you have to set up a plan in advance. Chess relies on strategy and the ability to misdirect your opponent." He glanced across the table. "One more game?"

"Okay, okay." Alfred agreed, but his heart didn't seem into the game. He moved his pieces distractedly and didn't pay much attention to the board. Arthur sighed and moved his own pieces across the board quickly, taking many of Alfred's pieces with a minimum of effort.

"Check," said Arthur.

"Oh, yeah," Alfred said, like he had just noticed his king's precarious position. Suddenly he moved a bishop from the other side of the board to take Arthur's queen. Arthur flushed—he had moving too quickly to end the game and, in doing so, had left himself open. He moved another piece to corner the king. One more move and he would have check mate.

"Check mate," said Alfred.

"Not until next turn," Arthur corrected, still focused on his own moves.

"No, I mean, I have check mate," Alfred grinned widely. Arthur looked down at his pieces in surprise and realized that Alfred was right.

"You… you actually were paying attention to the game weren't you?"

"Yep."

Arthur laughed. "I was just trying to end it quickly, because you seemed bored. That was rather sly of you."

"I was just listening to your advice."

"Well, I've learned my lesson: never teach an honest man duplicity," Arthur said with a smile and a rueful shake of his head.

"Why not?" Alfred asked.

"Because honest men make the best liars. No one sees it coming. That said, you're not going to fool me twice." Arthur smiled and carefully packed away the set.

"Then I'll just have to figure out another strategy!"

"No, I'm afraid it's too late. I've seen beneath that dopey smile to the cunning brain underneath." Arthur leaned close, as if he was examining Alfred's brain. "I knew you had to be hiding something under that messy hair." He reached out and ruffled Alfred's hair affectionately.

"Hah, my hair isn't half as messy as yours!" said Alfred. And to add to his point, he rubbed a hand through Arthur's hair, mussing it further. His hand slowed down and began more of a stroking motion. "Wow, it's actually really soft, like a bunny's fur. You know, I used to have a rabbit named Dusty with the same color hair. Er, fur."

"I can't believe you're comparing me to your _rabbit_. Not to mention petting my hair." Arthur rolled his eyes, but he didn't move away. Honestly, the strokes felt pretty nice, each sending little tingling motions through his scalp.

"Yeah, I didn't think there was any chance you'd let me do this."

"Why not? It's a rather nice scalp massage," Arthur smirked as Alfred blushed slightly. Apparently, he hadn't been misreading the earlier signs, he'd just made his approach too quickly. Well, there was time to remedy that now. "Although, you know, I'd prefer a neck rub."

Alfred smiled and moved to stand behind Arthur's chair. What his fingers lacked in skill, they made up for with enthusiasm. "Mmm, you can keep doing that forever," Arthur said with a happy sigh.

"Nope, when I'm done, you're gonna have to give _me_ a back rub. It's only fair."

Arthur chuckled and agreed, amused by Alfred's constant focus on fairness. They switched spots and Arthur's skillful fingers quickly turned Alfred into putty in his hands. "Ah, right there," said Alfred happily. "You're so good at this, if queening doesn't work out for ya, you should be a massager."

"A _masseur_ ," Arthur corrected. As he absent-mindedly continued the massage, he began to formulate a plan. Arthur really wanted to get a sense of how interested Alfred was in him (after all, it was a little strange to call someone a brother and then start blushing when you touched them) and he decided alcohol was the best option for information-gathering purposes. "Alfred, would you like to visit a pub while we're in Diamonds?"

"Sure, sounds awesome!"

Arthur smiled, this was too easy.

* * *

Arthur had initially been unsure why any country would have such a young girl serving as its Queen since Diamonds clearly didn't follow the same tradition of choosing rulers at age 18. He learned very quickly why Lili was queen. The girl was sharper than a loan-shark when it came to trade deals and twice as deadly. But when the trade negotiations finished, she would resume her usual sweet façade. It gave Arthur whiplash just watching the sudden change.

He was still thinking of Lili's two-faced nature when he ran into King Francis in the hallway. "Are you alright, _mon cher_?" Francis asked, leering as he cupped Arthur's chin with one hand while the other hand… wandered south.

Arthur smacked the hands away. "I was fine, until you decided to grope me!"

"Grope is such an ugly word, _moi, je tâtonne_ ," Francis purred.

Arthur spluttered. "That's the same word, just in your language!"

" _Oui, le diamant est la plus belle langue, n'est-ce pas_?"

"It most certainly is not," replied Arthur crisply. Just because Arthur knew the language did not mean he would lower himself so far as to speak it.

Francis smiled. "Ah, but I did not come to debate _des langues_ with you, _mon cher_ , there are better uses for _nos langues_."

"The only good use for your tongue is to cook it up and serve it on a platter."

Francis winced. "Oh, _c'est horrible_ what you do to food in Spades. _Peut-être_ , I could treat you to a dinner _incroyable_ tonight? And then for dessert…" He winked lasciviously.

"I have already made plans for tonight."

"I could join you, _non_? I always love to make new… friends."

" _Non_! I mean, no."

Francis smiled at Arthur's slip-up. "Well, _mon cher_ , could you at least tell me your plans? I like to know what is more important zan my company."

"Well, if you really insist…"

"I do, I do!"

"I'm delousing my hair." Arthur scratched his head to give his lie an ounce more verisimilitude. The look of panic on Francis' face was priceless. The King of Diamonds covered his precious hair with his hands, as if to protect it, and then raced away in sheer terror. Arthur chuckled for the rest of the walk to his room.

Since it was the last night of the trip and his duties were finished, Arthur sent his luggage ahead to the ship along with the other two guards and slipped away with Alfred to visit the bars of Trey, the capital city of Diamonds. The places Arthur intended to visit were close to the river docks, so he planned to simply bunk in the ship for the night instead of risk running into Francis again at the castle. Arthur wore his plainest clothes. It would be obvious that they weren't natives of the city, but given the number of sailors coming in from foreign ports, their accents wouldn't attract much attention. Arthur spotted a likely bar—one that clearly catered to foreign sailors—and found a table inside.

"I would recommend the Diamond Ice Tea," Arthur suggested to Alfred, choosing to get a gin and tonic for himself. Arthur didn't care for sugary drinks, but Alfred seemed the sort to like them. They were also incredibly alcoholic, although you could barely taste it.

Alfred ordered one and quickly slurped it down. "Wow, that was delicious," he said. "Way better than the grog and the rum."

Arthur smiled as he sipped his drink. "I thought you'd like it."

"I'm going to get another! Do you want anything?"

"No, thank you." Arthur smiled, this was almost too easy.

After Alfred finished his third Diamond Ice Tea, Arthur suggested he try a Kir Royal and then a Brandy Flip, which Alfred liked almost as much.

Arthur quickly discovered that Alfred was a happy drunk. A very happy drunk. He smiled and laughed and told bad jokes and then laughed at his own jokes. Despite his happy-go-lucky air, it seemed that he wasn't an affectionate drunk. If Arthur had downed that much alcohol he would have already jumped Alfred. Or passed out. Or both. Probably both. On the other hand, Alfred wasn't showing much interest in other bar patrons, despite their obvious interest in him.

One sailor walked right up to Alfred and asked with a wink, "Looking for a good time?"

"Oh, thanks, I've already found one," Alfred replied cluelessly, gesturing to Arthur sitting across the table. Arthur rolled his eyes, but on the plus side no one else bothered them for the rest of the night. Alfred quickly returned to his usual prattle.

"Arthur, your eyes are really green. Like super green. Do you dye them?"

"No, my eyes are all natural green," Arthur replied dryly.

"That's so cool. You know, in Clubs, green eyes dye you!"

Arthur rolled his eyes at Alfred's laughter and decided it was time to leave as the young men fell out of his chair, still laughing. The information gathering was a bust, other than the discovery that Alfred loved sugary drinks and told bad jokes.

"Come on, Alfred, time to go," Arthur said as he helped Alfred stand up, wrapping Alfred's arm around his shoulder to support his weight better.

"Mm-kay," said Alfred, as he heavily leaned into Arthur.

Arthur realized as soon as felt the full weight of Alfred leaning on him that there was a serious flaw in his plan to get Alfred drunk. He was never going to be able to carry the young man back to the boat. Nearly bent double by Alfred's weight, Arthur dragged his very heavy companion over to the inn's desk.

"Could I have a room with two beds?" he asked.

The innkeeper gave him a knowing look and replied with a thick Clubs accent. "Honey," she said, "I haven't got rooms with two beds and even if I did, you ain't foolin' no one."

Resisting the urge to correct her grammar—honestly, why did commoners insist on butchering the language?—Arthur sighed and said, "Well, could I have the closest room then? I'm not sure how far I can carry this lug."

"I can walk," Alfred murmured, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Arthur paid for the room and took the key from the winking innkeeper. He rolled his eyes and barely managed to drag Alfred up the stairs. Fortunately, their room was as close as the innkeeper had promised. Arthur dropped Alfred onto the bed and locked the door. He took off his shoes and outer garments, folding them carefully and set them on a chair, leaving him in only his shirt and trousers. He walked over to the bed expecting Alfred to already be passed out, but Alfred was still conscious, smiling at Arthur with a particularly dopey smile. "Oh, hey, Artie, are ya sleepin' wit me? You scared of ghosts too?"

"No and no." Arthur replied. "I'm merely sharing a bed because someone is too drunk to head back to the ship."

"Cuz sum'un suggested extra drinks." Alfred slurred his retort, but Arthur had to admit that the logic was sound.

"Oh, do just pass out like a good drunk. No wait, help me take off those clothes first."

Arthur managed to remove Alfred's outer garments with a minimum of help from Alfred. He folded those clothes too, not that Alfred would appreciate it. It was rather amusing—Arthur was taking off Alfred's clothes and sharing the same bed, but not in the way he had hoped or expected. Arthur sighed and laid down under the covers on his side of the bed. It seemed like all of his efforts were doomed to failure. He felt Alfred shift, turning to face him.

"Hey, Artie?"

"Hmm?"

"How come you're so nice to me?"

Arthur turned on his side to face Alfred. Arthur knew from his many experiences with drinking that someone as drunk as Alfred wasn't going to remember the details of the previous night, so he could tell the truth. "Isn't it obvious? It's because I like you, you idiot." He smiled. "Thank god you're far too drunk to remember this."

Alfred reached out his hand and stroked Arthur's hair, his eyes half-lidded in contentment. "Is tha' why you let me touch you?"

Arthur placed his own hand on top of Alfred's. "I don't _let_ you touch me. I like it when you touch me."

"Artie, couldya tell me this stuff when I'm sober? I wanna remember."

"Of course I can, provided _I'm_ drunk."

"Okee, next time Imma get you drunk. In Clubs, drunks drink you!" Alfred started laughing again, shaking the bed with his laughter.

"Go to sleep, you're making even less sense than usual."

"Mmkay, 'night, Artie."

"Good night, Alfred."

Arthur smiled and quickly fell asleep. When he woke up the next morning it took him a few seconds to remember why there was a warm body curled up at his side. At some point during the night, Alfred had abandoned his side of the bed and had wrapped his arm around Arthur's chest while his head nuzzled Arthur's shoulder. Arthur smiled at the image of morning sunlight hitting Alfred's hair and gently brushed Alfred's bangs from his face. The sensation of waking up in a bed with someone else was actually pretty nice, even if Alfred was hogging most of the sheets.

Arthur slipped out of bed, put on his clothes, and went downstairs to fetch his morning tea and a hangover cure for Alfred. The young man was still sleeping when Arthur returned, mug in hand. Arthur set the cup on the table and patted Alfred's shoulder. "Come on, rise and shine, we have a ship to catch."

"Mnf?" Alfred blinked and yawned.

"How does your head feel?" asked Arthur, all too familiar with the pounding feeling of a terrible hangover.

"Kinda hurts," Alfred replied, although he didn't seem to be in that much pain. He wasn't complaining about the bright sun or the noise or asking why the light wouldn't shut up.

"It tastes terrible, but this should help," Arthur said, handing over a mug of hot brown liquid.

Alfred took a cautious sip and smiled. "Oh, wow, this is great!" He happily gulped down the rest of the cup while Arthur could only watch in shock. "What was that?"

"You actually _liked_ it?" Arthur asked incredulously. "It's called coffee. I can't believe you like it, it's so strong and bitter."

"ItwassogoodIthinkI'mgonnagetanother!" said Alfred, hangover apparently gone, along with his ability to speak coherently.

Arthur eyed the hyperactive blond and the empty cup. "No, I don't think that would be a good idea."

Alfred remained incomprehensible on the short walk to the docks. Alfred would not stop talking and with no pauses between his words, Arthur understood him even less than usual. Fortunately, Arthur spotted Logan on deck and quickly dumped the problem of Alfred on him.

"I'm afraid I have given Alfred coffee," Arthur explained. "Can you deal with him?"

"No worries, your majesty," Logan replied. "We've got an hour before the scheduled launch and I know just the cure."

"Hey, Alfred! Wanna go for a swim?"

"Hell yeah!" shouted Alfred as he stripped off his shirt and without another thought jumped off the ship. "Cannonball!" he yelled, tucking in his legs to make a larger splash.

"Whoo-hoo!" Logan yelled as he followed closely behind with his own cannonball.

Arthur glanced over at his one remaining guard. Sven was leaning against the railing, smoking his pipe, as usual, showing no intent of joining in on the madness. Arthur felt slightly better knowing that at least one of his guards wasn't a complete nutcase.

"Hey, come join us!" Alfred yelled.

Arthur snorted and shook his head, ignoring Alfred's splashing as he walked down to his cabin. He had his dignity to preserve. Nor did he feel like explaining to Alfred that he didn't know how to swim. Very few nobles did. Most importantly, Arthur wanted a chance to change his clothes before anyone realized how strange it was to see the Queen in such plain clothing. It was one thing to cavort around with a commoner on the sly, it was quite another to let anyone know about it.

* * *

As winter turned to spring, life was looking up for Arthur. Tings were going well with Alfred, things were going well with Spades, and even his brothers were managing to not be a complete nuisance. So, of course, Arthur ended up getting in a fight with someone else. He often thought he wouldn't be Arthur Kirkland if there wasn't someone seriously annoyed at him.

The fight began the next time Arthur saw Hong, during a tea break with Chun-Yan and Peter. As Peter and Hong played some sort of ball game near the garden, he took Mei's advice and analyzed Hong carefully. When Arthur realized what he was looking at, he spit out his tea.

Chun-Yan instantly jumped back from the table to avoid tea droplets. "Shénme guǐ dōngxi?" she yelled. Hong looked up, surprised to hear Chun-Yan swearing. "Hong, pretend you didn't hear that," she ordered.

"Sorry, sorry," Arthur said. "I just, uh, hot tea?"

Chun-Yan stared, disbelief evident in every line of her face. "You've been drinking that tea for the past ten minutes," she reminded Arthur.

Arthur sighed, realizing they were going to have to have this conversation at some point. "I noticed Hong's eyebrows," he said quietly.

Chun-Yan tensed. "It would be rather hypocritical of you to comment on his eyebrows, aru," she said, glowering at Arthur.

"No, it's just…" Arthur cleared his throat. "A rather distinctive feature."

"I don't want to talk about it," Chun-Yan replied with a defiant glare. "This stays between us, nǐ dǒng ma?"

"I want you to know—" Arthur began.

"What part of 'do you understand' don't you understand?" Chun-Yan asked with an exasperated tone.

"Well, the part where you said it in another language wasn't helpful," Arthur replied crossly.

"Spades takes over whatever territories it wants and it expects us to learn your language. Maybe you should make some effort to learn ours! I know three languages, how many do you know? I can trace back my family name for fifty generations. My ancestors were writing fine poetry when yours were still worshiping rocks." Chun-Yan sucked in a quick breath and continued ranting, "I became the Jack thinking it would be an _honor_ to serve my country, but I am surrounded by fools who know nothing of culture and learning. And a grouchy Queen who picks fights with everyone. When we finally get a King, _if_ we ever get a king, you're probably going to fight with them too! I am just so sick of dealing with you and your family and all of your problems."

Arthur had never seen Chun-Yan lose her temper before. She was terrifying. Hong and Peter were watching the scene like it was the most impressive display of fireworks they had ever seen. "Yeah, you tell that jerk!" Peter yelled.

She flashed one final glare at Arthur, before she lifted up her foot and slammed it down on the table—breaking the wooden table in two. Arthur's tea cup fell to the ground and shattered.

Peter and Hong approached warily after Chun-Yan stalked away. "What did you say to her?" Hong asked, his face still expressionless.

"You know, I honestly have no idea," Arthur lied. He wasn't going to risk Chun-Yan's wrath further by telling her brother something she clearly didn't want him to know. It seemed the Kirkland family had a side-branch that no one talked about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Le diamant est la plus belle langue, n'est-ce pas = Diamond is the most beautiful language, no?
> 
> Des langues = languages, nos langues = our tongues. Francis is making a pun on the word "langue" which means both language and tongue.
> 
> Shénme guǐ dōngxi = "What the hell?"
> 
> nǐ dǒng ma = "Do you understand?"


	7. Hot as Blue Blazes

_In which the rebellion begins, Arthur and Chun-Yan reach an understanding, and Arthur talks to his father._

Arthur decided the time was right for a trip to Fort Bower, located on one of the nearest territorial island of Spades. The fort commander had sent a message a week earlier explaining that the fort had began to notice seditious activity aimed at discrediting Queen Arthur and the Queen's Clock. It seemed like something Arthur should investigate in person. The fact that Chun-Yan had smashed a table right in front of him was merely an incentive to leave quickly.

Upon Arthur's arrival, the commander explained how his soldiers how captured a lone rebel planning to travel to Ace and smash the Queen's Clock. "He calls himself the Clockwright, your majesty," the commander explained.

"Clockwright, as in a clockmaker?"

The commander nodded. "That's right, your majesty. He said that he wants to break the Queen's Clock _and_ fix it. I don't think he would be able to manage anything on his own, but I worry there's more out there."

"Take me to him."

The commander gestured for Arthur to follow her to the jail in the lower level of the fort. Torches lit the hallway, but did little to relieve the gloom of the stone hallway. At the end of the hallway two guards stood next to heavy iron gates, which opened with a heavy creaking noise. All of the cells in the jail were empty except for one.

"So the ill-chosen Queen graces me with his presence," the prisoner said with a mocking bow.

"You're rather cocky for someone standing in a prison cell."

"I know my time has not yet come. But do you feel the midnight hour calling you? Right now it is the 11th hour, but soon midnight will arrive and the hand will stand still." The prisoner's eyes were wild and his hair clearly hadn't been brushed for days.

"Do they always talk like crazy missionaries?" Arthur asked the commander as an aside.

"I'm afraid so, your majesty," the commander replied with a long-suffering sigh. "Your majesty should have met the woman last week who believed she was the physical embodiment of the Kingdom of Spades and its Overseas Territories. She kept spouting gibberish about world meetings and important conferences. And then there was the one who claimed to be a time-traveling alien and who insisted we call him 'The Master.'"

"Master of what?" Arthur asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"He never did say, your majesty."

"Hmm." Arthur resolved to check with the local fairies to see if some mischievous sprite had decided to play tricks on the local populace. Not all fairies were as polite as the ones who lived in his garden. Turning back to the prisoners, Arthur continued his questioning, "What did you intend to do with the Queen's Clock?"

"I am a Clockwright, I meant to fix it." The prisoner grasped the bars and glared at Arthur with a frenzied look.

"By smashing it?" Arthur calmly arched his eyebrow. It was going to take more than a crazy man with a clock fetish to intimidate him.

"Sometimes to fix a clock you have to restart it."

Arthur rolled his eyes at the meaningless blathering and decided to jump to the most important question. "Who's your leader?" he asked.

"I obey the gears and the springs."

"If you give me names, I'm prepared to offer clemency." The prisoner could be one person working on his own, but Arthur suspected there were more involved in the plot. Given how long the rumors had been spreading, he shouldn't be surprised to find that some people had decided to take action.

"I will take nothing from you, ill-chosen Queen!" The prisoner spat at Arthur, but he was too far away to cause any harm.

"Very well. I have nothing further to ask him," Arthur said to the commander. He turned to the rebel and stated coldly, "You will be tried for attempted treason—for the Clock plot _and_ the spit."

"I am the clock's loyal servant, you are the one who has betrayed Spades."

"He would appear to be stark raving mad," Arthur remarked to the commander as they left the jail and walked to Arthur's rooms in the fort.

"That was my impression too, your majesty, but this was the only one we caught. There might be more like him that are a greater threat."

Arthur nodded, a knot of unease growing in his stomach. "Show me everything you have on them, I want to deal with this personally."

What they knew wasn't very much. This particular prisoner had been caught because he liked to speak his mind too freely in public places. He had even tried to recruit people to the cause in the town square. As far as they knew, he hadn't been successful in any of his recruiting efforts. The fort guards had spied on him, discovered the clock plot, and promptly arrested him.

Eventually, Arthur bid the Commander good night and walked to his room. He sat down tiredly at the desk and rested his head in his hands. The rumors seemed to be spreading and now he had to deal with nutcases threatening both the Queen and the Queen's Clock. The country was unstable without its King and there was nothing Arthur could do to fix it.

Arthur gritted his teeth. Maybe there wasn't anything he could do about the king, but he could find out more about this rebellion. Years of breaking curfew at boarding school had taught him plenty about stealth. He dressed in his plainest clothes, brushed his bangs forward to cover his eyebrows, blew out the lamp in his bedroom, and snuck out of the fort. He didn't tell the guards—they would only try to stop him.

He wanted to start with a place he understood well, so Arthur began his espionage mission at a bar. This late at night, the beer had already been flowing freely, making everyone louder and less careful with their words. Arthur sat quietly in the corner, sipping his own beer and listening to the conversation. It was mostly complaints about weather, the taxes, and women. He heard no discussion of the Queen or the Clocks of Spades, but it was unrealistic to hope that he could just walk into a random bar and discover key information on a conspiracy. Most conspiracies were better at hiding than that. At least his eavesdropping reassured him that the townsfolk had more pressing concerns than magical clocks.

After he finished the beer, Arthur slipped out and decided to try his next potential source of information. He walked into the nearest forest and concentrated on sensing the fae energies. He could feel some nearby, so he whistled a short melody that his own fairies had taught him as a signal that he was friendly to the fairy folk.

Soon, he saw a glowing fairy with ethereal, fluttering wings approach him warily. Arthur bowed deeply. It was always important to show courtesy to the fae. "Pleased to meet you, lovely lady, my name is Arthur."

She returned his bow. "How can I help you, Queen Arthur?"

Arthur looked up in surprise, but then smiled. The fae had ways of knowing that he could not begin to understand. "I was wondering if you knew anything of the Clockwright rebels?" he asked politely.

She shook her head. "We pay little attention to human affairs, just as they are content to ignore us."

"Do you know if there has been any fae mischief here?"

The fairy smiled and shook her head. "No, we haven't played tricks on humans in many years. It's rare to find any that can even see us now."

"I see. Well, thank you for your help, lovely lady." Arthur bowed again.

"You should return to the fort, they're looking for you."

"Who is?" Arthur asked, but the fairy vanished without replying. Taking her advice, Arthur hurried back to the heart of the town. As he drew closer to the fort he began to smell smoke and he could see a crowd of guards ahead. The commander was standing in front of the fort, barking out orders and dividing people into groups. In the chaos, Arthur slipped in next to the fort commander. "What's going on?" he asked, shouting to be heard over the commotion.

The commander turned to look at him and blinked in surprise. "Your majesty?" She quickly regained her composure. "We were sending out search parties to look for you. Someone broke into your room and set it on fire. We assumed they kidnapped you," she explained. Realizing search parties were no longer necessary, she ordered the guards back into the fort and increased the guard patrols in and around the castle.

"No, I wasn't in my room," was all Arthur said by way of explanation. He caught the commander's curious glance, but he didn't bother to account for the plain clothes. He was tired and she could assume what she wanted.

"I have my best trackers trying to find the ones who broke in," she added.

"Have you checked the jail? They may have been creating a distraction to help the prisoner escape."

The commander swore and they both ran to the jail. The guards outside the jail gate had been knocked out and the prisoner was gone, but his cell wasn't completely empty. Arthur found a note lying on the middle of the floor. He read it quickly, a grim look on his face. It was a ransom note declaring that the Clockwrights had kidnapped Queen Arthur and that they would spare the Queen's life in exchange for choosing their own Queen to replace him.

"Looks like you were right. There's more than one Clockwright rebel and the others are better organized. Inform me immediately of any updates."

Arthur gathered what few belongings weren't destroyed by the fire from the burned-out husk of a bedroom and set sail for Ace at dawn.

* * *

"We have a problem," Arthur said as soon as he entered Chun-Yan's study. She arched an eyebrow as Arthur showed her the missive from the Clockwrights.

"It's from a group of rebels that believe the Clock is broken. They tried to kidnap me at Fort Bower. Obviously, they failed, but I think this is what my vision of the fissure in the Grand Hall meant. The chasm represents a rebellion against the clocks."

"That… makes sense, aru," Chun-Yan said thoughtfully. Arthur was relieved that she wasn't going to let their earlier fight get in the way of dealing with a threat to the kingdom.

"Do you have any more information on the Clockwrights?" he asked since the Jack was in charge of the country's spies. As Queen, Arthur knew most of the information, but he didn't normally bother with all of the details.

Chun-Yan pulled out a surprisingly large stack of documents from a locked desk drawer. She flipped through them, reading off the names as she went through. "The Righteous Harmony Society, the Whiskey Rebels, the November Plot… ah, here it is, the Clockwrights."

"Have there always been so many seditious societies?" Arthur asked, a bit alarmed by the stack of documents.

"There are always trouble-makers, but it does seem worse in recent years, aru." She handed the file on the Clockwrights to Arthur, but it only contained the reports from Fort Bower he had already read. "I'll increase efforts to track them and keep you informed of any new details," she promised and then turned back to her other work, clearly signaling that she wanted Arthur to leave.

Arthur paused at the door, debating whether or not to address the unspoken issue in the room. Chun-Yan beat him to the punch. "If you're considering saying something about Hong, don't," she warned coldly. "It would be for the best if we just both ignored what happened in the garden, aru."

"Alright," Arthur agreed reluctantly. At the moment, finding details on the Clockwrights was more important than solving the mystery of Hong's parentage. However, Arthur resolved as soon as he left that even if he couldn't talk with Chun-Yan, he would talk with someone else who could shed light on the situation. It was time to talk with his father.

Fortunately for Arthur, since the Royal Council was in session, Lord Kirkland was currently staying at the family's townhouse in Ace, instead of their countryside manor. Arthur rarely visited other than to pick up or drop off Peter, but the servants were too well-trained to show surprise at his abrupt visit. Despite the late hour, they showed him to his father's den, where Lord Kirkland was lounging in a leather chair with a pipe and a glass of bourbon.

"Arthur, what brings you here?" his father asked, calmly taking a sip from his glass.

Arthur waited until the servant had left and closed the door. He then turned back to face his father. "Is Hong my half-brother?" he asked.

Lord Kirkland did not spit out his drink. His facial expression didn't change in the slightest. He simply took another puff from his pipe. After a few moments, he finally responded. "Did Chun-Yan tell you that?"

"I'm not playing the question game," Arthur said angrily. "Give me a yes or no answer."

"Yes." The word was spoken casually, as if they were discussing something no more consequential than the weather.

Arthur sat down heavily on the chair across from his father and struggled to keep his own expression under control. He apparently failed because Lord Kirkland snorted in disapproval.

"Are you really so surprised, boy?" he asked. "You would have plenty of your own bastards scattered about if you preferred women instead of men."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," he replied icily. "It's not like family means anything to you."

His father set down the drink with a heavy clink. "Don't be ridiculous, boy, family means _everything_ to me. Do you have any idea what I had to give up for the sake of this family?" Despite his angry tone, Arthur's father looked suddenly tired and worn. "Sometimes you have to make a choice and live with it, and I have always chosen my duty and my responsibility to this family. Now get out of my house you ungrateful child and don't ever let me hear you speak of this again."

Arthur left silently, but he swore to himself that if he ever had to choose between his family and love, he would pick love.

* * *

In the months that followed, Chun-Yan discovered no new information on the Clockwrights. Arthur cancelled his planned trip to Clubs, deciding that it was safest to stay in Ace for the time being. He found himself in Ace for his birthday, but he wasn't surprised to find that no one either remembered or cared to mark the occasion. Even the blue rose and note that arrived saying "Happy Birthday!" wasn't enough to relieve his sour mood. What did it say about him that only his fairy friends cared to wish him a happy birthday? Feeling old and unhappy, Arthur threw the rose away.


	8. Out of the Blue

_In which the hour hand begins to tick, many nobles are disappointed, Arthur nearly drowns, and the new King is found._

On midsummer's day, a terrible thunderstorm knocked down a tree near the Grand Hall. One of the branches crashed through a window, letting in water and leaves. Chun-Yan sighed at the expense and closed the hall for repair work. Fortunately, there wasn't a noble's birthday party scheduled for several weeks. The National Day was coming soon, but it was celebrated outside with fireworks and festivals in the streets. As they began repainting the walls and fixing the window, the workers covered the Queen's Clock and Princess Clock to protect them from stray paint. Their decision proved to be a mistake.

Arthur suffered through his fourth National Day with as much grace as he could muster (i.e. not much). He didn't understand why the fireworks had to be so loud or why the food had to be so greasy. His main enjoyment came from watching Hong and Peter set off their own set of fireworks. They had quite a gift for pyrotechnics.

The next few days involved a great deal of work to catch up on all of the documents that had been pushed aside in favor of the preparations for National Day. Arthur woke up early and went to bed late, shorting himself on sleep to complete his work. And so it was the Arthur didn't immediately realize what he had seen when he saw it. The King's Clock had fallen out of Arthur's pocket and as he put it back he realized it was nearly tea-time. Arthur had taken to carrying two watches, since the King's Clock was nearly useless with its immobile hour hand. Arthur was already half-way to his garden, where the servants would have tea ready soon, when he stopped dead in his tracks. He had read the time without looking at his second watch. He slowly pulled out the King's Clock and confirmed what his eyes had already recognized—the hour hand now marked the time. At some point in the past two weeks, it had started ticking.

Arthur ran to Chun-Yan's study and pounded on the door. As she let him in, Chun-Yan seemed confused by Arthur's frantic appearance. "What is wrong, aru?" she asked, her tone vacillating between worry and annoyance.

"We have a king," Arthur panted—out of breath from his run—and thrust the King's Clock into Chun-Yan's hands.

"And the problem?" Chun-Yan asked, even more confused.

"I don't know who it is! I don't even know when the clock started ticking. God dammit, I should have watched the clock more closely," Arthur glared at the clock as if it were the source of all his troubles.

"Calm down," Chun-Yan suggested. "Many nobles who live far away do not bother to come for their 18th birthday. I will simply let them know to come, aru."

They contacted the far-flung nobles. Five hopefuls arrived and five left disappointed. They contacted the distant branches of noble families. Dozens of hopefuls arrived and all left disappointed. They even searched out illegitimate children—the nobles were slightly more willing to acknowledge their by-blows given the possibility one could be King. After weeks of letter-writing and waiting, Chun-Yan and Arthur had to admit the obvious during a session of the Royal Council. Arthur was the first to acknowledge it in words.

"The King must be a commoner."

"I agree, aru."

Several of the high-ranking nobles, including Lord Kirkland, argued against expanding the search to commoners, pointing out that they may not have reached every noble. But with the Jack and Queen in agreement, their arguments fell on deaf ears.

Unfortunately, Arthur and Chun-Yan had few options for broadening their search. Nobles kept meticulous written records of birthdates and family trees, commoners did not. Based on the census records, Chun-Yan estimated there were ten thousand 18-year olds within the Kingdom of Spades and that four hundred would likely have a birthday in the right time range. The hard part was identifying those four hundred.

"We should have a town-crier go to each town and invite those within the right time range to come to the castle. It will take a few weeks, but the odds of finding the King are high, aru," Chun-Yan offered.

"And make ourselves the laughing stock of the Four Kingdoms?" one noble huffed. "We might as well go door-to-door with a glass slipper!"

"The rumors are already spreading that we have an unknown King," Arthur remarked. "It won't help to try to keep it secret much longer. We should start with Ace. We'll spread the search to the outer towns if necessary."

Chun-Yan nodded. "I'll prepare the proclamation, aru."

"Wait one more week, there are still nobles who haven't responded to our earlier letters," Lord Kirkland urged. The other nobles on the Royal Council nodded in agreement. Chun-Yan shrugged. Arthur—though tempted to spite his father—thought it unwise to go against the entire council. "Very well," he agreed.

Despite the frantic search, the business of the country continued and Arthur was obliged to attend to his Queenly duties. The least welcome at the moment was his presence at a party celebrating the launch of the newest ship in the Spadian Navy. The reason the party was particularly unwelcome was the guest list—Stuart and Seamus were both attending, Stuart because of his positions in the navy, Seamus because he could always find his way into a party with free booze.

The celebration began at dusk as Arthur, in his finest Queen regalia, broke a wine bottle on the bow of the ship. He swore he could see Seamus sniffling at the waste of liquor. The crowd gave a wild cheer and Arthur and the other guests boarded the ship for a quick sail around the harbor. The deck was filled with food, drinks, an orchestral quartet, and even dancing for those brave enough to move with the gentle sway of the ship. The harbor was a beautiful sight in the setting sun. Arthur watched the scenery from his position next to the railing instead of paying attention to the party going on around him. The other party guests seemed equally happy to ignore him. The only friendly face was Alfred, who seemed to have taken a position guarding the food. Alfred flashed Arthur a quick smile when he caught his glance. Arthur stared down at his watch and silently willed time to move faster.

"Think ya too good fer the likes of us?" a drunk and familiar voice asked him.

Arthur crinkled his nose at the sight of his drunken brother. "Ugh, Seamus, you're disgusting. Do try to preserve your dignity."

"S'all yer fault," he slurred.

"I hardly see how _your_ lack of dignity is my fault," Arthur said, looking away from his brother. A second later he came to regret his mistake as Seamus' fist connected with the side of Arthur's head. Dazed, Arthur was unable to fight back or even cry out for help as Seamus pushed him over the railing. The impact of his back hitting the water knocked the air out of Arthur's lungs, but it also pulled him out of his daze. He frantically fought to make his way to the surface, his cloak and heavy garments pulling him down. Arthur wanted to scream, but he couldn't even breathe. He desperately fought against his clothes and the water. It felt like he had been struggling for hours, although he knew it couldn't be more than a minute. His lungs burned and the edges of his vision began to darken.

Suddenly, arms reached for him and Arthur wildly grabbed hold. He climbed and pushed his way to the surface and gasped a breath of air before going under again. Arthur couldn't seem to stay above the waves. He panicked and thrashed as he felt himself going down again. The arms grabbed him from behind this time and Arthur feared that Seamus had followed him into the water to finish the job, forgetting in his terror that Seamus couldn't swim either. He kicked as hard as he could, but the cloak got in the way and the attacker wouldn't let go. One foot finally connected with his assailant, who jerked backward and squeezed Arthur in the middle. Arthur felt the remaining air leave his lungs, replaced by salt water. His vision darkened again and Arthur lost the strength to fight more. Suddenly, he was at the surface, gasping for air, with a voice yelling in his ear. After a few seconds he recognized his name, a few seconds more and the words made sense, "Arthur! Arthur! Stop fighting, you'll drown us both!"

Arthur coughed and forced himself to relax. "Al… fred?" he managed.

"The Queen's fine! Give me a moment to tie the rope!" Alfred shouted up towards the ship. It was hard to make out details in the twilight, but there seemed to be a number of people standing around the rail.

Alfred held Arthur from behind, the steady and powerful strokes of his legs keeping them both above the waves. Alfred shifted position to hold Arthur with one arm and reached forward with his other arm. "Hold still, I'm unbuttoning your cloak," he said as his fingers began to undo the clasp around Arthur's neck. Arthur felt the weight drop with great relief.

"I've got a rope tied around my waist, I'm going to tie it around you and have them pull you up, okay?" Alfred said, speaking slowly.

"Wait. The clock?" Arthur said in-between gasps of air.

Fortunately, Alfred understood what he was asking. He grabbed the chain at Arthur's waist and lifted the glowing clock in the water. "Still there," he reassured Arthur as he slipped the clock back into Arthur's pocket and began tying the rope around Arthur's waist. "When you're ready, just yell to have them pull you up."

"No. I can climb myself," Arthur said, beginning to feel a bit more like himself now that he wasn't struggling to stay above water.

"You sure?" Alfred asked.

"I'm not an invalid."

"Okay," said Alfred, and Arthur thought he could hear a smile in the word. "Hey! Throw down the rope ladder!" Alfred yelled.

After a few moments, the rope ladder hit the water with a splash. Alfred helped Arthur swim over to the side of the ship and made sure Arthur had firmly grabbed the ladder before he let go. Arthur pulled himself up the ladder feeling a mixture of emotions. Fear, shock, pain, and anger. By the time he reached the top, anger had won out over every other thought.

Arthur climbed onto the ship the perfect image of watery wrath—wet hair plastered to his forehead and eyebrows scrunched in a furious scowl. He dropped the rope from his waist and stalked over to where his brother Seamus was held between two guards. "You… bloody… wanker…" Arthur hissed each word with a cold fury. "Do you _know_ what the punishment for treason is?"

Seamus paled, looking suddenly queasy for reasons completely unrelated to alcohol. "Please, brother…" he began.

"Brother?" Arthur hissed. "No, I am _not_ your brother. I am disowning you from the family and banishing you to Foulness Island. Consider yourself lucky that I'm sparing your miserable life."

Arthur glanced quickly to the side to make sure Alfred had made it back on board (he had and was looking uncharacteristically grim) and then stomped over to the captain, who took an involuntary step back. "Take us in," he ordered. The ship returned to its berth in near complete silence. Arthur was the first to disembark, quickly followed by his guards. He ordered the two guards still holding Seamus to "Deal with him," and then he told Alfred to "Come with me."

Stuart stepped forward at this moment and said, "Arthur..."

Arthur looked over and glared. _Go on,_ he silently willed, _just try and say something you rotten bastard_. Stuart dropped his gaze. Any other day, Arthur would have considered it a major victory, but today it felt like it was worth nothing. He turned on his heels and walked to the waiting royal carriage, Alfred close behind.

Once inside, Arthur let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He sat facing backwards and Alfred sat on the seat across from him.

"I'm so, so sorry," Alfred started babbling nervously. "I should have been watching. I saw you and your brother at the railing and then I looked down for a second to get more to eat and then it was just your brother and I _knew_ he had pushed you over and I shouted 'man overboard!' but I should have been doing my job instead of stuffing my face and—"

"Alfred, _breathe_ ," said Arthur. "It wasn't your fault. Even I didn't expect my own brother to try to kill me on a pleasure jaunt around the harbor." He was surprised by how calm his voice sounded while Alfred sounded so panicked. Arthur even felt calm, as if the near drowning had happened to someone else.

The rode in silence for several minutes as the carriage climbed through the center of town towards the castle. Arthur stared out the window, but didn't really see the scenery as it passed by in a blur. Eventually he realized he was hearing another sound above the noise of the cartwheels on cobble streets. It sounded like sniffles.

"Are you crying?" he asked, turning to look at Alfred.

"No," Alfred lied, trying unsuccessfully to hide his tears by rubbing his eyes. Arthur just stared. If one of them was going to cry, shouldn't it be him? But Arthur didn't feel anything at the moment, not even the anger that had propelled him up the ladder. He watched Alfred cry and dimly realized he probably ought to do something. He sighed and shifted seats so that he was next to Alfred. He tentatively reached an arm around Alfred's shoulder and made the same soothing noises he remembered his mother using when he was a child and upset by his brother's taunting. Alfred responded by leaning into his side.

"You could have _died_ ," Alfred whispered between hiccuping sobs.

"It's okay. I'm fine, you're fine, it's alright," Arthur murmured. He continued to hold Alfred for a few more minutes, repeating his reassurances, until Alfred pulled away, rubbing his eyes and looking embarrassed. Arthur pulled back his arm. He had the nagging sense he was forgetting something.

"Thank you," said Arthur.

"What?" Alfred looked confused.

"For jumping in after me."

Alfred smiled weakly. "It's what any hero would do, right?"

Arthur felt a little cold, so he reached for his cloak to wrap it around himself, before remembering that the cloak was now at the bottom of the harbor. He patted his pocket and felt the solid weight of the King's Clock. And then he remembered. The clock had glowed in water and he had not been the one touching it.

"Alfred, your 18th birthday was this summer, right?" Arthur asked, hearing his own voice as if from a distance.

"What? Yeah, on National Day. Are you okay Arthur?" Alfred looked worried. "You seem, I dunno, out of it and paler than normal."

"Excuse me for being naturally pale," Arthur snapped.

"Never mind, I guess you're fine."

"You're an idiot." Arthur snorted and pulled the King's Clock out of his pocket. It glowed in his hands.

Alfred leaned closer to see the watch. "Is it still working?" he asked.

"It takes more than salt water to stop a magical clock," Arthur replied. Indeed, the King's Clock had survived far worse. The clock had an uncanny ability to find its way back to Ace, no matter what happened to its owner. After the previous King's death, the Clock had washed ashore within a matter of days before a merchant brought it to the Jack. "Do you want to hold it?" Arthur asked as he unhooked the golden chain from his clothing.

"Can I?" Alfred asked with perceptible excitement, nearly bouncing in his seat, his earlier sadness forgotten.

Not even bothering to correct Alfred's grammar—after all, there would be plenty of time later to explain the difference between _can_ and _may_ —Arthur handed over the clock. They both watched it glowing in Alfred's hands, although only Arthur knew what the glow truly meant.

"Did you know that we've been searching for the chosen King?" Arthur asked.

"I heard some rumors, but that's stupid, right? I mean, I can't believe some noble forgot that it was their 18th birthday." Alfred laughed weakly.

"You don't have to be noble to be king."

"What? But everyone says…"

"The 7th Jack wasn't noble and neither was the 4th Queen. The 2nd King's family didn't become noble until after her reign."

"But that was a long time ago. Nowadays…"

"If you want a more recent example, the 13th King is a commoner."

"What?"

"You're the King, Alfred. The clock only glows for the King, the Queen, and the Jack. I realized you were king because it glowed in the water. I would have told you then, but I was somewhat distracted. Keep the clock, by the way, it belongs to you now."

"Wow…" Alfred breathed, looking completely stunned. But he quickly recovered and began to smile happily. "What now?"

"Now we tell Chun-Yan, and then I suggest your first royal action should be a warm bath and fresh clothes. You stink of salt water."

Alfred laughed. "You too."

One more thing occurred to Arthur. "Did you see anything the first time you touched the King's Clock?" he asked.

"You mean other than the glowing?"

"Yes, it would have been something like a vision. Most royals see a vision when they're chosen, but the details vary greatly."

"No, I didn't see anything. I think I was distracted too." Alfred paused and frowned. "Actually, there was something a little strange. It might have been when I touched the clock, I'm not sure, but I thought I heard a girl's voice yelling 'You've got to help him!' Does that sound like a vision-thingie? I just assumed it was someone on deck, but there weren't any girls, were there?"

"I suppose that's possible…" Arthur frowned in thought. If the voice was Alfred's vision, it wasn't very helpful.

The carriage arrived at the castle and Arthur exited with as much dignity as he could manage in dripping, wet clothes. Arthur led the way to the Jack's study with his head held high, grateful that the hallways were mostly empty to spare him any gawking bystanders.

Chun-Yan met him at the door with a perplexed expression, the expression growing increasingly confused as he took in Arthur's appearance. "What happened to you, aru?" she asked.

"My brother tried to murder me by pushing me overboard, I nearly drowned, and I ended up banishing his drunken arse to Foulness. Also, I've found the king." Arthur gestured at Alfred.

"Hi." Alfred waved, holding up the glowing King's Clock.

"Uh, hello, I'm Jack Chun-Yan Wang, pleased to meet you." Chun-Yan bowed slightly.

Alfred saluted. "Alfred F. Jones, at your service! Or maybe not, I guess, I'm not really sure how this all works."

Arthur and Chun-Yan exchanged a look, both realizing that preparing Alfred was going to take some time. "I'll cancel the proclamation," said Chun-Yan. She looked at Arthur and Alfred in their damp clothes and added, "We can plan the rest in the morning, aru."

Arthur nodded and turned to Alfred. "Alfred, time for a bath."

"Nice to meet you, Chun-Yan!" Alfred waved as he left.

"God, I need a drink and a bath," Arthur remarked as they walked along the hallway. "In that order."

Alfred looked concerned. "You need to see a doctor." 

"What are you talking about? I feel fine."

"You still look pale. Extra pale. Not your normal pale. There's a difference. Also, we're walking in the wrong direction." They both stopped and Arthur looked around, realizing for the first time that he was in the wrong part of the castle. Without a word, he turned around and walked back the way they had come.

"I don't need a physician," Arthur muttered.

"I'm not taking a bath until you promise to see a doctor."

"You wouldn't dare."

Alfred gave him a serious look. "Yeah, I would. And then you'd have to introduce me to _everyone_ tomorrow while I stink of sea water. If they ask, I'll just tell them it's what a fisherman's son smells like."

"Do you always insist on acting like a petulant child?"

"Only until I get what I want," Alfred replied with a laugh.

Arthur glared, frowned, and then finally gave in. "Fine," he said. When they reached his room (taking the correct path this time), Arthur directed a servant to take Alfred to the king's chambers, prepare his bath, and fetch clothes for the new king. Then he had another servant bring in the royal physician while a third prepared his bath. Alfred, who actually insisted on waiting until the doctor visited Arthur (as if he was worried Arthur wouldn't follow through on his promise) seemed uncomfortable ordering servants around, preferring to ask politely for what he wanted. Arthur sighed, realizing this was another area where he would have to correct Alfred.

The physician diagnosed Arthur with a mild case of shock and prepared a small glass of medicine. Arthur initially refused to drink the mixture, but gave in when Alfred threatened to skip his bath _again_. Arthur was going to be extremely displeased if Alfred used bathing as his leverage point for everything. He was glad when Alfred finally left and he could take his own bath in peace. As much as he had wanted to find the king, this was not at all what he had expected.

Arthur soaked in his bath and worried about the future of Spades. Alfred was nice enough, but his political naiveté and complete lack of social graces would leave him helpless in Spadian politics. It took more than enthusiasm and charm to run a country. In fact, it seemed that Alfred's only real distinguishing trait was that he got along well with Arthur. For the first time, Arthur began to wonder if the rumors were true. Perhaps the clock had failed to choose a King for so long because it could find no one else who would be able to work with Arthur.

That night, Arthur fell into a fitful sleep and dreamt of stormy waves and a cloak dragging him into the dark depths of the sea. As much as he struggled, he couldn't reach the surface. He woke up sweating, his body completely tangled in his sheets. Dawn light had barely begun to enter the room, but Arthur didn't think he would find any more sleep that night.

He dressed and entered his study, finding, to his surprise, a new rose and a new message. "I'm really glad you're safe," the note said. Arthur clutched the rose to his chest, even as the thorns bit into his fingers. "Me too," he whispered to no one in particular.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, jumping in to save an actively drowning person is an insanely dangerous idea. Drowning people fight incredibly hard and frequently end up drowning their would-be-rescuers. So what Alfred did was very stupid, although at least he took a rope with him. Since it was both stupid and brave, I thought it was in-character for Alfred, who's really lucky that he's strong enough to pull it off.


	9. Blue-Eyed Boy

_In which Arthur teaches a lot of history, fairies offer cryptic advice, Yong Soo comes for a visit, and Alfred protests taxes._

The coronation was scheduled to take place in three months. Arthur did not think it would be enough time to teach Alfred even a third of what he needed to know, but the country had gone without a king for nearly six years and Chun-Yan didn't want to wait much longer.

During Alfred's first day of training, Arthur quickly realized that the young man knew practically no history and had a miserable grasp of geography. His etiquette was non-existent. He knew nothing about the domestic political situation of Spades, much less its relations to the other three kingdoms. Alfred was good-natured and friendly, but Arthur had no idea why the clocks had chosen him to be king.

Arthur decided to start with the basics, having Alfred memorize the list of past Kings, Queens, and Jacks. After a few minutes reading through the list, Alfred glanced up. "That's odd," he remarked to Arthur.

"What is?"

"Look at the dates, the clock has never left a position open for more than year, two years tops," said Alfred as he moved his finger along the book. "How does it pick people anyway? And who thought it was a good idea to have 18 year-olds rule the country?"

Arthur answered the second question first because it was far easier. "Most royals don't begin ruling at age 18. They start training as the prince, princess, or jake at age 18, but don't take the throne until much later, usually around age 30. The most recent situation was highly unusual, since both the King and Queen died young."

Arthur hesitated before giving his answer to the first question. He knew the truth based on the old legends, but few still believed in magic and fairies, which was why the nobles of Sapdes rarely discussed the mechanics of the clock's decision. "The clock's selection has always been the tradition," he said evasively.

"Tradition isn't a very good reason. How does it _work_?"

"It uses magic, very old magic," Arthur replied carefully. "There was a civil war long ago and lovers from two fighting families begged the fairies for help. The fairies imbued the clock with magic to pick the best rulers."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Arthur, that's a fairytale, not an explanation."

"Well there aren't very good records from that period, so I'm afraid it's the best explanation I can provide," Arthur lied. Arthur did have another method for exploring the clock's magic, but he wasn't about admit to seeing fairies to Alfred yet. Based on his dismissive reaction to the clock's magic, the new king seemed unlikely to believe in fairies. After the lesson was over, Arthur entered a secluded part of his garden where he could talk to the fairies with no one seeing. It wouldn't help the Queen's poor reputation if people caught him talking to thin air.

Two fairies in brightly colored dresses quickly gathered near Arthur and flitted about his fingers. "Lovely ladies, do you know how the clock's magic works?" he asked.

The fairies shared a glance. "It uses fate magic," replied one.

"It senses destinies and chooses accordingly," the other added. "As if reading the tarot cards for the entire country."

"Do you know why it picked me? Or why it chose Alfred?" Arthur asked.

"The clock is… worried," said the first. "There's a deep rift forming in the fate lines and it doesn't know how to solve it."

"Arthur, there's much we can't share and much even we cannot see," the second fairy explained. "This fate in particular is one that can't be forced. You must believe in yourself and believe in Alfred."

"Thank you for your guidance," said Arthur with a determined nod. "I will do my best."

Remembering the fairies' words, Arthur forced himself to be exceptionally patient during Alfred's training, no matter how glacial Alfred's progress. After a few days, Arthur was grateful he had withheld his usual biting remarks because he discovered that part of the slow progress wasn't even Alfred's fault.

Sitting in his study, Alfred squinted at the book and held it at arm's length. Arthur sighed. "Alfred, stop playing with your book and just read it," he said, trying to hide his impatience.

"But it's blurry and really hard to read."

"What? Let me see." Alfred handed over the book, but Arthur could see nothing wrong with the text. A thought began to form in his mind. Perhaps Alfred was seeing blurry text for another reason. "Is it just this book or is it all of the books?" Arthur asked.

"All of them, they give me a headache."

"I see." Arthur nodded to himself. "I think we need to check your eyes."

Acting on his promise, Arthur scheduled Alfred to see an optician, who quickly produced a set of spectacles for the soon-to-be king. Alfred expressed amazement at the difference in his ability to read books, though he didn't care for the change to his appearance. "They make me look old," he complained.

"No," Arthur reassured him, "They make you look mature. God knows you can use all the help you can get."

Alfred stuck out his tongue, rather spoiling the effect, but he stopped complaining about his spectacles.

One day after lunch (during which Alfred had managed to eat a disgusting amount of food with no manners whatsoever), Arthur returned to find Stuart waiting in his study. Arthur expected him to ask Alfred to leave, but Stuart said nothing when Alfred leaned against the wall.

"What do you want?" Arthur asked, taking his accustomed position behind his oak desk which still bore the scorch-mark from Stuart's earlier visit.

"I've come tae talk with ye aboot Seamus," he replied, casually exhaling a lung-full of smoke. "Many nobles haven't taken kindly tae his banishment. He was better liked than ye. Ye should be careful."

"Are you threatening me?" Arthur asked with a frosty glare.

Stuart shrugged. "Just a warning."

Alfred chose that moment to enter the conversation. "Hi, we haven't been formerly introduced," he said. He offered his hand, "I'm King Alfred."

"Stuart Kirkland," the redhead replied as he shook Alfred's hand. Handshakes weren't the proper method of introduction for royalty, but Arthur had already given up on those lessons.

"Can you swim?" Alfred asked Stuart out of the blue.

The older man arched a thick eyebrow. "Nae," he admitted.

"Good." Alfred's smile was wide, but not warm. "If you ever threaten Arthur again, I will personally push you off the nearest pier."

"You can try, little boy."

They sized each other up and Arthur got the sense that Stuart was mildly impressed, although he took care not to show it. Alfred, with his dopey smile, glasses, and carefree demeanor rarely presented an imposing sight. But at the moment, with his feet in a broad stance and his head held high, Alfred looked more than a little intimidating, subtly reminding them both that Alfred had been training to be a castle guard and that he still kept up his physical training. At that moment, Arthur began to see the wisdom in the Clock's choice. Anyone who could stand up to his brothers could be a good king.

Stuart turned to face Arthur. "Remember what I said aboot Seamus," he said, taking another casual drag on his cigarette as he strolled out the door.

* * *

"Chun-Yan, I have this awesome idea for the coronation!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Alfred, for the last time, we are not setting off fireworks in the Grand Hall."

"No, this will be even better than that! My mom was so excited that she's going to be able to watch the coronation that it occurred to me that there are probably lots of other folks who would really like to come. We can also invite them to the dinner dance in the evening!"

"You want more commoners to attend?" Arthur asked in surprise.

"Yep, and folks from the territories. I'm their King too!"

"I think it's a good idea, aru," said Chun-Yan. "I'll make the arrangements."

Arthur frowned, unhappy to have no say in the decision. It wasn't his coronation, but he did have far more experience than Alfred in planning these types of events.

All three looked up in surprise when they heard a loud and cheerful voice shouting "Aneki, Aneki!" in the hallway.

Chun-Yan paled and ducked under her desk, whispering to Arthur, "I'm not here."

"Aneki, surprise!" a young man shouted, waving his arms wildly as he bounced into the room. He paused in confusion. "Where's Chun-Yan?"

"She's—" Alfred began to answer the question before Arthur cut him off.

"She's not here right now," Arthur lied smoothly.

"Oh," the dark-haired man looked dejected. Even one of his hair curls seemed sad. "Will she be back soon? I came all the way from Clubs to see her!"

"You must be Yong Soo," Arthur said, realizing that this was the annoying cousin Chun-Yan had mentioned earlier. Her descriptions didn't do the young man justice. He was _far_ more annoying in person.

"Yeah, that's me! I bet aneki talks about me all the time! Well, I'll just wait here until aneki gets back. She's going to be soooo happy to see me!"

"I'm afraid she's going to be gone for quite awhile." A brilliant idea occurred to Arthur, a way to deal with two problems at once. "What if Alfred showed you around while you wait?"

"What?" asked Alfred, still looking perplexed by the whole situation.

"Really?" Yong Soo grabbed Alfred's arm and dragged him into the hallway. "I've seen so many cool things in Clubs, just let me tell you all about them!"

Once the sound of Yong Soo's voice had gradually receded, Chun-Yan came out from under the desk, brushing the dust off her clothes. "Thank you, aru," she said gratefully. "But those two will terrorize the castle with their energy."

Arthur shrugged. "The important part is that they are somebody else's problem right now." He and Chun-Yan focused on their work and managed to finish nearly all of the coronation preparation that afternoon without the distraction of Alfred's fidgeting, constant chatter, and ideas for making the coronation more 'awesome.'

Alfred and Yong Soo returned just before dinner (Alfred was never one to miss a meal), carrying multiple bags and chatting excitedly. "Aneki!" Yong Soo shouted excitedly when he spotted his cousin, jumping forward and wrapping her in a big hug. "Happy Birthday! I knew you'd want to see me for your birthday so I made sure to come visit!"

"Yeah, Happy Birthday, Chun-Yan! How come you didn't let us know? We could have planned a party!" Alfred added.

She shrugged. "It's only a birthday, aru."

"Well, sorry for the lack of party, but here's a present!" Alfred handed over one of the smaller bags.

"I got you a present too, although seeing me is the best birthday present!" Yong Soo tossed over a much larger bag. Neither Alfred nor Yong Soo seemed to think that wrapping was an important step before giving a present.

Chun-Yan tentatively lifted out Yong Soo's present first. It was a stuffed white blob with a hair curl and facial expression remarkably similar to Yong Soo's. Alfred's gift was a stuffed bear with strange black markings on its eyes, ears, and legs. Arthur rolled his eyes, only Alfred would think that the serious Jack would like a doll clearly designed for a young girl…

"It's so cute, aru!" Chun-Yan said happily as she hugged the toy, causing Arthur to do a double take.

"But you like my gift better, right, aneki? Now you can have me with you even when I'm far away in Clubs! Right? Right?" Arthur was beginning to see why Yong Soo had been shipped off to be ambassador to Clubs, the most distant Kingdom.

"It's… very… unique," Chun-Yan said, seeming to fumble for the right words in her effort to be polite.

"Yaaay!" Yong Soo shouted, flapping his arms and grinning widely. Arthur could swear that even his hair curl started to smile.

"I think it's time for dinner, aru," Chun-Yan said, clearly trying to get her cousin out of the study before he broke something.

"Dinner? Yay!" responded Yong Soo. "Dinner with aneki, dinner with aneki!" he repeated happily, flapping his arms like a bird as he ran into the hallway.

Alfred, Arthur, and Chun-Yan followed at a slower pace. It was hard for Arthur to imagine that there was a person who could make Alfred seem sedate by comparison. And yet, there he was. Walking right in front of them.

"We had such a fun day!" Alfred said excitedly. "We went fishing by the lake and then we went down to the harbor and then we went shopping for gifts and then we had a snack and then we chased geese in the park and then we had another snack…"

"Why does he call you 'aneki'?" Arthur asked Chun-Yan, interrupting Alfred's flow of chatter.

"He learned it in Hearts from Queen Kiku. It's a term of respect that means older sister, but you can use it for more than just actual sisters," Alfred responded, happy to show of his newly acquired knowledge. "Hey, do you want me to call you aneki and aniki?" he asked with his childish grin.

Chun-Yan shuddered. "One of you is plenty, aru."

Arthur also shook his head. "Just Arthur is fine."

"You're so slow you're going to miss dinner, aneki!" Yong Soo shouted from his position at the end of the hallway. Arthur hoped the energetic young man was leaving soon. One hyperactive nuisance was plenty.

* * *

"Alfred, for god's sake, stop fidgeting." Arthur slapped the papers on the table. "You need to finish reading these reports if you want to be able to discuss issues intelligently at your first official Royal Council meeting." Arthur rubbed his temples and sighed. Being patient was aggravatingly difficult when Alfred seemed incapable of focusing on his work for more than a few minutes at a time.

"They're just so boring. And half the time they even know what they're talking about." Alfred pointed to one of the reports. "Like that one, it says the fish harvests were bad this year, so it recommends raising the taxes more, but the harvests were actually really good. People just didn't report their harvests because the tax is too high. If you keep raising the tax more they'll keep hiding more."

"Then we will have to increase enforcement."

"Or maybe you should stop putting a tax on everything! I mean, you put a tax on playing cards. Playing cards! Did you know people have started to cross out the Queen of Spades' face and call that card the bitch?" Alfred narrowed his eyes, a surprisingly angry look on his normally happy face. "They're not happy and neither am I. I'm going to be King soon and you can't keep ordering me around and treating me like a child."

"I only treat you like a child when you act like one. And technically, you became King on midnight of your 18th birthday."

"That's not the point."

Arthur slapped his hand onto the desk. "No, it is _precisely_ my point. You have no idea what Kingship entails. The coronation is where others recognize you as King, but it doesn't make one. And they will never recognize you if you insist on acting like a commoner, instead of the King."

"I am a commoner, so excuse me for acting like one! You can keep trying to teach me to act like a noble, but that ain't ever gonna happen."

"No, it certainly _isn't_. I'll treat you like a King when you learn to act like a King, and if you continue to act like a child, then I will never stop treating you like one." Arthur stood up in a single, fluid, angry motion and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut on his way out for extra emphasis. Arthur returned to his own bedroom and sat down heavily on the bed. After a few minutes, he heard loud knocking on the door.

"Hey, Arthur?" Alfred asked as he opened the door.

"What?" Arthur snapped, refusing to turn around to face him.

"Even if the King and Queen are fighting, can we still get along?"

"Alfred, you _are_ the King," Arthur said impatiently.

"Well, yeah, sometimes I'm King Alfred, but sometimes I'm just Alfred. And I want us to get along no matter what happens with the titles."

"What? You can't separate the two. I'm not the Queen and Arthur, I'm Queen Arthur."

"So was it Queen Arthur that took me drinking?"

"That was…" Arthur struggled for the right word. "That was different. That was before you were King. It's not like I would go out drinking with you now."

Alfred crossed the room and moved to stand in front of Arthur. "Why not? I know you like alcohol," he said with a lop-sided grin.

Arthur knew the answer. He could go out drinking with Guard Alfred because it was fun holiday in Diamonds and it didn't mean anything. He could talk to Guard Alfred for one night on a ship and then never speak to him again. If he went drinking with Alfred now, he would have to deal with the consequences tomorrow, and the day after that, and for the rest of their lives. Arthur would have been happy with a quick fling, but he couldn't have a fling with the king, even if Alfred somehow thought he could separate himself from his title.

Whatever else happened between them, Arthur couldn't let this continue. He had to push them back from the brink, because Arthur wasn't ready for something serious. He couldn't stand the thought of putting that much trust into another person, the thought of making himself dependent on someone else for his happiness. Arthur had never managed to keep a relationship going for more than a couple months and he didn't want to drag the Kingdom into a never-ending lover's spat. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell Alfred any of those things, and Alfred was still standing there, waiting for his answer.

"I can't take you drinking because you're a pain to deal with when you're drunk." That was true enough.

"Nah, it's fine. Remember? We decided that the next time we went drinking I would stay sober and _you_ were gonna get drunk," Alfred replied happily. "Glad we got that cleared up. 'Night, Arthur!"

"Good night, Alfred," Arthur replied distractedly.

After Alfred had left the room, a sudden realization hit Arthur like a cold splash of water. Alfred had remembered his promise to take Arthur drinking, which meant that he probably remembered everything they had said that night in Diamonds. Which meant he almost certainly remembered Arthur's confession. Arthur groaned. He was going to have to work extra hard to stop things from going any further—which mean absolutely no alcohol in Alfred's presence.

"Shit," he muttered to himself.


	10. Blue Collar King

_In which the King is crowned, Arthur meets Alfred's family, and Stuart stops by for another chat._

The morning of the coronation, Arthur found another rose accompanied by a note which said "Watch out for Francis." Arthur chuckled. His fairy friends apparently remembered the unkind words he had shared about the King of Diamonds.

The coronation proceeded smoothly. King Alfred smiled broadly and actually managed to look quite handsome and mature in his elegant navy blue suit, the King's Clock hanging from his pocket. Alfred's parents beamed from the front row and Arthur felt a sudden stab of jealousy. Alfred's family looked so happy; it was no wonder the young man acted like he didn't have a care in the world. Arthur was surprised to see an empty seat next to the parents until he actually realized there was a person sitting in it. He looked like a softer copy of Alfred, but quickly faded from view when Arthur wasn't focused on him.

Alfred managed to remember all of the steps of the coronation and at precisely noon, Arthur crowned him with the gold-and-sapphire crown of Spades. Alfred recited the King's Oath flawlessly and the crowd broke out in cheers, genuine cheers. Arthur focused on maintaining the calm expression on his face, instead of showing the rush of jealously he actually felt. The people already liked Alfred better.

They smiled and waved and then, after what felt like no time at all, it was over. Arthur anxiously led Alfred to the place where he would be meeting the other kings.

"Remember to watch out for King Francis," he reminded Alfred for the fifth time. "That man has frisky hands."

Alfred grinned. "Arthur, relax, I'll be fine."

Arthur returned to his study and spent the next half-hour worried sick. He picked up one piece of paper and then another, but he didn't actually read them. He looked up in surprise when Alfred knocked on his door and came in.

"Done so soon? How did the meeting go?"

"Uh, it went well. At least, it started well, then Francis hit on Monika, and she punched him into the wall. She left, saying she wanted a beer, and Francis left to go tend his bleeding nose. Then Ivan just stared at me with that creepy smile. We had a staring contest, which I totally won, because he blinked first. Then a nice gal called Natalia stopped by and Ivan disappeared."

Arthur blinked. "I see."

"Anyway, now that I've met the other Kings I was thinking it would be awesome to go down into Ace and see some of the festivals. What do you think?" Alfred leaned against the deck casually, adopting a pleading expression more suited to a puppy dog than a King.

"No." Arthur didn't even bother to look up.

"Come on, I want to see the festival down in Ace!"

"No."

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

"No."

"If you don't want to come, I'll go invite Natalia."

"…no."

"And Francis."

"…okay, _fine_. I'll go. But only because Francis is a menace to society."

Arthur changed into his commoner spying disguise and helped Alfred sneak out of the Castle, trying not to worry overmuch about the fact that the last time he had slipped away, someone had burned down his bedroom.

The festivals down in the village of Ace were not what Arthur had expected. He thought people marked a coronation with solemn festivities, but these activities were something like a market day mixed with a fair combined with free-flowing alcohol and patriotic good cheer. Alfred loved it. He insisted on watching the jugglers and then buying snacks to eat, although Arthur warned him not to ruin his appetite for dinner.

"Arthur, you sound like my mother," he said, sticking out his tongue. "Oh hey, we should go visit my house! I'll introduce you to my family." He didn't wait for Arthur's response, instead he simply grabbed Arthur's hand and pulled him towards the cottages on the west side of the city. From what Arthur knew of the area, it was generally where tradesfolk and crafters lived.

The houses in the area were small, but well-kept. At the moment, one in particular was overflowing with people and Arthur guessed it was their destination. He was right. Alfred smiled and laughed and hugged everyone in sight, happily accepting their congratulations and well wishes. Arthur stood awkwardly to the side, trying not to draw any attention to himself. Unfortunately, his plans were ruined when Alfred remembered that he had brought a guest and began introducing his many family members to Arthur, starting with his young cousins.

"Let's see, that's Virginia, and this is Caroline, then there's George and Penny and…"

Arthur quickly found himself lost in a whirlwind of names. He was grateful when a little girl with light brown curly hair and the same blue eyes as Alfred provided a distraction.

"Ahfwed!" the little girl cried happily, toddling over to present Alfred with a woven crown of blue aster flowers. Alfred grinned and scooped her up. "This is for you!" she said.

"Aw, Abigail, it's beautiful, thank you." He plucked the flower crown from her hand and gently set it on her head. "But I think it looks better on _you_. You're going to be a beautiful prince some day, won't you?" She giggled and nodded.

Arthur's rescue came in the form of Alfred's mother, whom he had met briefly before the coronation. "Arthur, dear, it's good to see you again," she said to Arthur with a kind smile. "I'm afraid Alfred will be busy with his cousins for a while, so how about I show you our little garden? Alfie has told how much you like flowers."

"That would be lovely, Mrs. Jones."

She laughed. "Please, call me Betsy!" She led him through the cozy house and into their small backyard. What the garden lacked in size, it made up for with a dazzling variety of species. Flowers spilled out of boxes, filling the small area with a riot of colors. Arthur was used to well-organized gardens with an overabundance of blue flowers. This garden was something completely different.

"It's beautiful," said Arthur, genuinely impressed.

"Mom~!" a loud voice called from the doorway. "You can't just drag him away from the party! I haven't even finished a quarter of the introductions yet."

"Alfred, sweetie, don't overwhelm the poor young man," she said with a light chuckle, walking over to ruffle her son's hair. "You two stay here and I'll go find Matt."

"Oh yeah, Mattie! You should meet him. You're gonna love Matt, he's the best."

"Your mother is very kind," said Arthur, appreciating the woman's help in removing him from the terrifying crowd of excited family outside.

"Yeah, she's the best," said Alfred with a happy smile. "Oh that reminds me," he bent down, plucked a flower, and handed it to Arthur with a slight blush. "Abby said I should give a flower to the Queen too."

"Alfred, you shouldn't just pluck flowers from your mother's garden. They're meant to be here for everyone's enjoyment," Arthur chided, but he nevertheless accepted the flower and slipped it into a buttonhole. It was a blue aster, the same type Abigail had used to make her crown of flowers. "Did you know that each flower has its own special meaning?" Arthur asked casually.

"Really? What does that one mean?" Alfred asked, pointing to the flower he had given Arthur.

"Well, asters used to be burnt as a way to scare off evil spirits and in Diamonds, they lay them on soldiers graves to signal that they wish the battle had ended differently." Arthur stopped, suddenly unwilling to mention the most important meaning: that an aster, given on its own, was generally meant as a love charm. He gently brushed the flower, but decided against uttering the final meaning, not wanting to give Alfred the wrong impression.

"Does it work on ghosts?" Alfred asked apprehensively.

Arthur laughed. "It's just an old wives tale and regardless, ghosts aren't real."

They were saved from further conversation by the timely arrival of Matthew. After meeting a few more relatives, Arthur insisted they return to the Castle to prepare for the coronation dinner and dance. Once he reached his room, he found his heaviest book—the Unabridged Dictionary of Old Spades—and carefully placed the flower between its pages. He wanted to keep it beautiful forever.

* * *

After the coronation dinner, Alfred danced first with Monika, who waltzed with precise efficiency, and then with Francis, who used the opportunity to the best of his groping ability. Ivan sat in the corner and Alfred was clearly relieved he didn't have to dance with the tall and frightening man. Nearly everyone in the ballroom kept a careful distance from the King of Clubs and his unnerving smile. All except for one very determined young woman.

"Dance with me, brother! Dance with me!" Natalia pleaded as she slowly dragged her brother towards the dance floor. Arthur felt a twinge of pity for the King of Clubs, whose face wore a frozen smile, but he certainly wasn't going to step between the knife-wielding ambassador and her prey. However, there was one person so incapable of reading the atmosphere that he was willing to intervene. Alfred appeared at Natalia's side and took one hand in his own.

"I'll dance with you, miss!" Alfred said with a smile.

Natalia looked confused and Ivan looked grateful. "Yes, sister dear! It would be good for the Kingdom of Clubs if you danced with the King of Spades. Do it for me, da?"

The young woman grumbled, but agreed. "This is for you, brother!" she said as Alfred whisked her onto the dance floor. Ivan took the opportunity to flee the room, presumably to find a hiding spot with a sturdy door. Alfred smiled and chatted throughout the dance, blissfully ignoring Natalia's repeated glances throughout the room to relocate her beloved brother. When the song ended, Natalia slipped out of Alfred's grasp and resumed her search for Ivan without a backwards glance.

Alfred strolled over to Arthur, who was standing at the edges of the room, as far away from the dancing as he could manage. "She's a sweet gal," he said.

"Natalia?" Arthur asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I think it's nice how much she loves her brother."

Arthur nearly choked on his wine. "She wants to _marry_ her brother. That's not sweet, it's disturbed."

"Well, I think she just really loves him and isn't sure how to express her feelings. It can be confusing when you like someone but aren't quite sure how you like them." Alfred's smile was surprisingly soft.

"That is perhaps the nicest way anyone has ever described Natalia's obsession with her brother. Nevertheless, I would advise you to steer clear. Those knives aren't simply for show."

"Ah, are you jealous?" Alfred teased.

"No," Arthur said with a glare.

"Don't worry, I came over here to ask you to dance."

"I'm not interested. Ask someone else." Arthur crossed his arms. He was going to make it clear to Alfred from this moment forward that he considered it a bad idea to continue as anything other than friends. For a second, Alfred looked disappointed, but he quickly smiled again and waved goodbye, before grabbing another dance partner as Arthur had suggested. Sick of being forced to mingle in another huge crowd of people, Arthur hid in the corner of the room and went to bed early.

* * *

The next day started for Arthur in the worst way possible, with a visit from his brothers. Arthur was an earlier riser, so he was surprised to see Stuart and Gavan already waiting in his study by the time he arrived. They pounced on him immediately and tied Arthur to his chair. Arthur fought back, but even he couldn't manage against two on one odds when his brothers had the element of surprise.

"Very funny," he muttered. "Stop acting like children and untie me, you wankers!"

"Arthur, you've got tae listen to us. Seamus is drawing support from other nobles and risks becoming a martyr for the cause. Some of the nobles have even started tae contact us for our support," Stuart spoke grimly, his adopted accent barely noticeable.

"Whose side are you on?" Arthur asked, glaring at his brothers.

Stuart snorted. "I should think it obvious."

"I suppose it is," Arthur replied with a scowl. His older brothers had always teamed up against him when they were children, he shouldn't be surprised that they would still side with Seamus, even after his attempted murder.

"You've got tae pardon him and let the family deal with it or it will only get worse," Stuart warned. "Father isn't happy aboot the banishment. This is the sort of matter that should be handled within the family."

"Strange, I always thought treason was a capital offense. Are you both forgetting how he tried to kill me?" Arthur scowled at his brothers. He could call for the guards, but he hated to show weakness in front of his brothers and it did seem they just wanted to talk.

"Ach, Arthur, the poor lad was drunk and didn't know what he was doing. Ye know how it is with our family and alcohol. If ye pardon him, ye show that you're a forgiving and benevolent Queen."

"The flaw in your plan is that I am neither forgiving nor benevolent. Now get out after you explain how the hell you keep getting in here in the first place."

Stuart grinned wolfishly. "I just 'convince' a few maids to show us in."

"They're not maids when you're done with them," Gavan added with a snort.

"I should be glad none of the servants are sheep or I would have to worry about Gavan," Arthur said sneeringly. He wasn't going to take his brothers' abuse lying down. Gavan looked like he was about to say something back, some crude insult of his own, when the door suddenly opened, surprising them all.

"Oh, hey, Arthur, there you are," Alfred said as he opened the door.

"Think aboot what we told ye," Stuart said as he and Gavan left quickly, brushing past Alfred, no doubt leaving before Alfred could notice the ropes.

Alfred watched them go, and then turned to look back at Arthur. His eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, did your brothers tie you to the chair?"

"Yes, they've found that it's the only way to get me to listen." Arthur did a complicated motion with his hands and was immediately free of the ropes, which fell to the ground.

Alfred gaped. "How'd you do that?"

"Practice," Arthur replied simply. He decided that Alfred didn't need to know the details of how Arthur had gained his experience with ropes and bonds. Boarding school had taught him a lot of things his parents never intended.

"So why didn't you just free yourself earlier?" Alfred looked confused by the whole situation.

"They just tie me up again if I escape." Arthur picked up the ropes and threw them away. The fewer reminders of his brothers in his study the better.

"Arthur, your family is seriously, seriously messed up."

Arthur sighed and shrugged, feeling another pang of jealousy for people who had normal, happy families. Alfred talked about his brother with nothing but affection, and having met the sweet young man, Arthur found it easy to believe that he was exactly as kind as he seemed. If the universe had taken the concentrated kindness of Alfred's brother and mixed with the undiluted malice of Arthur's brothers, perhaps they would have ended up with four regular older brothers. Once again, Arthur reminded himself that life simply wasn't fair.


	11. Green-Eyed Monster

_In which Alfred makes friends with nearly everyone and Spades celebrates the New Year._

Arthur had recognized several difficult tendencies in Alfred during his training—Alfred liked to call tradition stupid and he never understood the purpose of etiquette—but Arthur thought that the King's exemplary conduct at the coronation had marked an end to his difficult behavior. Instead, it seemed that the coronation had merely been the calm before the storm. Despite his woeful lack of knowledge and experience, Alfred seemed determined to start making decisions immediately instead of deferring to Arthur and Chun-Yan, the more experienced royals.

Alfred began his first official meeting with Arthur and Chun-Yan by offering a harebrained plan. "I think we should open up all of the positions in the Castle to everyone, including commoners. We should have like a test to make sure the best folks get the jobs, even if they don't have a noble patron," he said enthusiastically.

"A test?" Arthur asked flatly.

"Yeah! It'll ask important stuff to make sure they're good at the job."

"Alfred," Arthur said with a sigh, "You should learn how this country works before you offer up ridiculous ideas to change it."

"Arthur, don't act like you know better than me." Alfred looked uncommonly serious, his eyes narrowed and his lips forced downward in an unnatural frown.

"But I _do_ know better. I know how this country runs, while you know practically nothing," Arthur responded dismissively.

"I know a lot! I know how to catch fish and how to build boats. I know how to herd cattle and how to shear sheep. I know what _makes_ this country run."

"Common skills," Arthur huffed.

"You mean a commoner's skills," Alfred retorted. "Do you think this country just runs itself? No, it's the work of commoners working damn hard each day. You shouldn't just dismiss their efforts when you can't do any of that stuff. You ignore them just like you ignore the servants, just like you ignore everyone you consider beneath you, which is basically everyone!"

"So you think we should put cow-milking on the test? Our accountants won't be able to balance the books, but at least they'll never lack for dairy," Arthur said sarcastically.

"That's not what I meant. Maybe if you actually listened instead of just immediately dismissing everything that isn't traditional or historical or old like you."

"You're the one that never listens," Arthur replied.

"Bì zuǐ!" Chun-Yan yelled, succeeding in getting them both to shut up. "I think it's a good idea, aru," she said, derailing Arthur and Alfred's argument. "I've noticed many of the noble patrons are easily swayed by bribes. This would be a fairer system."

"Really?" asked Alfred hopefully. "I mean, of course you do, it's an awesome idea!"

"You'll never convince the Royal Council to go along with it." Arthur predicted with a scowl. His scowl deepened even further at the next royal council meeting when the nobles actually voted in favor of Alfred's testing idea. Of course, Alfred benefited from the fact that Chun-Yan had put together a proper proposal describing the tests. She renamed it a Civil Service Examination, instead of Alfred's original name of 'that test thingie.'

Alfred flashed Arthur a victorious smile, but Arthur wasn't going to let Alfred think he had won anything. After the meeting, Arthur pulled Alfred aside in the hallway.

"Are you going to congratulate me?" Alfred asked with an infuriating grin.

"No." Arthur snapped. "I'm going to explain some realpolitik. The nobles know that your stupid test won't actually change anything. Nobles receive the best education, so they will score highest on the tests. A few exceptional commoners may take a position or two, but that will merely serve to make commoners believe they actually have a chance, even while most of them remain in their same lowly status. You think you've created a meritocracy, but you've merely enshrined the existing aristocracy under a thin veneer of merit. If you actually understood the current system, you would have realized that."

"It's still better than it was! And at least I don't assume that things can never change."

"Forgive me for not sharing your unrealistic idealism." Arthur turned on his heels and walked away, not waiting for Alfred's reaction or his reply. If the clock had been trying to find a King who could work with Arthur, then it had horribly miscalculated.

* * *

 

Arthur had assumed that finding the King would end his problems and that the country would run smoothly as soon as the King was crowned. Instead, he found that everything went for smoothly for Alfred, but continued to fall apart for Arthur. The young blond king must have been born under a lucky star, because everything simply fell into his lap. No one said no to Alfred's zany ideas, no one commented on his lack of etiquette, and no one paid the slightest attention to Arthur's well-considered criticisms.

Even Chun-Yan, sensible, serious Chun-Yan, went along with Alfred's schemes. She converted what Alfred called his "vision thing" into actual plans with numbers and logistics. She claimed that Alfred helped her on the calculations, but Arthur found that exceedingly hard to believe. The young King couldn't tell a dessert fork from a salad fork, how could he possibly be better at math than Arthur? How could he be better at anything?

The worst part was how Alfred now ignored everything Arthur said. The young man had gone from hanging onto Arthur's every word to ignoring Arthur whenever he opened his mouth. He'd say, "Oh, don't listen to old man cranky pants," and the other nobles had the gall to laugh.

The absolute last straw came when Arthur saw Alfred at the Castle's New Year's celebration chatting happily with Stuart, Gavan, and Francis, Arthur's personal nightmare trio. Alfred had even allowed Francis to sling his arm over Alfred's shoulders and whisper what were most likely dirty comments into his ears. The trio glanced over at Arthur, Francis made a comment, and then they all laughed.

Arthur flushed hot then cold. He walked over to confront his personal bêtes noires. Normally Arthur refused to even think in the language of Diamonds, but he found this phrase perfectly encapsulated his feelings towards Francis and his older brothers.

"Oh hey, Arthur, we were just talking about you," said Alfred cheerfully as Arthur approached their little clique. The other three snickered, telling Arthur all he needed to know about what they had been saying.

"Yes, I noticed," Arthur retorted dryly. He wasn't going to give his brothers the satisfaction of seeing how much this annoyed him.

"Is it true that you've navigated the Windward Passage?" Alfred asked. "These three keep talking about it like it's something special."

Arthur scowled, trying to determine if the blond idiot had any idea what he was asking. Knowing Alfred, probably not.

"Oh yes, he's done it many times," Francis interjected. "But then, it's not terribly hard when you're piloting such a miniscule vessel."

"I believe that's your personal experience, not mine, Francis." Arthur was not going to let the King of Diamonds insult him so easily.

Alfred still looked confused. "So where is it? I don't remember it in any of my geography lessons."

"Oh, I think you could probably find it with both hands and a map," said Gavan in a sing-song voice. All three began to laugh again, clearly deriving great amusement from Alfred's innocence and naiveté.

"I bet Arthur would be willing tae help if you asked," said Stuart with a malicious grin.

"I would be quite pleased to render my personal assistance in the matter as well," Francis purred.

"Like hell you will!" Arthur shouted, drawing the startled glances of the people standing nearby. Arthur flushed, cursing his quick temper from getting the best of him. "Alfred, I need to talk with you," he said, dragging the king away from Francis and into the hallway. Arthur didn't stop walking until they reached a small alcove suited for a private discussion.

They stood uncomfortably close, the sounds of the party just a quiet murmur of background noise.

"What is Francis even doing here?" Arthur asked, exasperated that the bane of his existence had appeared in Spades without any warning.

"Stuart and Gavan thought it would be a good idea to invite him to the New Year's celebrations in Spades. Diamonds is our closest ally and it's good to maintain relations."

Arthur bit his tongue to prevent himself from making a snarky comment about the sort of relations the King of Diamonds wanted to maintain. Instead, he focused on the part about his brothers. "So you've been turning to my brothers for advice?" He growled out the word 'brothers.'

"Yeah, I have," said Alfred defiantly. "They're not that bad. They just like teasing you. If you weren't so uptight all the time, you'd see that."

"My brothers are and remain complete arseholes. End of discussion. Why didn't you think to ask me about inviting Francis?"

"Gee, Arthur, maybe because I already knew you were gonna say no. That's all you ever say, no to this, no to that. Don't you do anything but criticize?" Alfred complained. "I know you don't like Francis, but now that I've gotten to know him, he's actually pretty nice. Did you know his country has had trouble with rebellions lately? I think there's a lot I can learn from him," Alfred said earnestly.

"I don't think Francis is interested in teaching you about politics," Arthur muttered darkly. "He wants hands-on lessons of a different sort."

Alfred crossed his arms, looking annoyed. "Honesty, Arthur, you're not one to talk. You weren't inviting me to your room for a chat the first time we met, were you? I didn't get it at the time, but hanging out with Francis has taught me a few things. He's the exact same as you, just less subtle. If I can handle you, I think I can handle him."

"We are not at all alike," Arthur hissed, deeply insulted at the very thought of being compared to Francis.

Alfred looked annoyed and surprisingly upset. "Yeah, you kind of are. In fact, you're worse than he is. You fake an interest in people and pretend to be nice to get what you want. At least Francis is honest." 

"I didn't… I'm not…" Arthur stammered before falling silent. He looked at the ground, unable to meet Alfred's accusing gaze. It was true that he had been drawn to Alfred because of his looks, but that wasn't why he kept spending time with the young man. It seemed he had been too successful in his efforts to push Alfred away. "I really did enjoy spending time with you," he said finally, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Look, just be careful with Francis. He's very convincing when he promises that he'll stay with you and love you forever, but he won't." Arthur didn't mention that he was speaking from personal experience. He had first met Francis while studying abroad—the result of a brief expulsion from his boarding school for repeated and flagrant violations of the rules—had fallen hard for the charming Prince of Diamonds, and had left with nothing but a broken heart. He didn't want to see Alfred hurt in the same way.

"Is that all you have to say?" Alfred asked. "I should be getting back to the party. It's almost midnight."

"No, wait!" Arthur cried, grabbing Alfred's hand before he could leave. Arthur was not going to let Francis share the traditional midnight kiss with Alfred. He had to distract Alfred until midnight had safely passed. "I've been thinking about the civil service exams, and I think… uh, we should add more training and educational programs so everyone has a fair chance to succeed."

"I thought you hated the exams?"

"N-no, I don't hate them, I just thought they were impractical. But with more tinkering, we could develop a better system."

"Really?" The usual bright smile returned to Alfred's face. Arthur could vaguely hear the people at the celebration begin chanting the countdown and he nodded, glad that he had distracted Alfred and brought back his cheerful smile. In the background the chanting stopped, replaced by loud cheers. It was midnight.

"So… it's midnight," Alfred said expectantly.

"I suppose tradition is important," Arthur said hesitantly. The midnight kiss would be safe enough, right? It was just a small little kiss, not a promise of anything more. And he really wanted to be the first one to kiss Alfred this year.

"Yeah, tradition," Alfred agreed, despite his normally poor attitude towards tradition.

They leaned forward, lips meeting for the first time. Alfred tasted as delicious as he looked, the sweet flavor of chocolate icing still on his lips, probably from a cake he had eaten at the party. They kissed far longer than traditionally necessary and Arthur didn't think that these midnight kisses normally involved tongues either, but he certainly wasn't going to complain.

"Hmm, I guess Francis was right," Alfred said once they pulled apart.

"What?" Arthur asked, head still a little muddled from the kiss.

"He said you would drag me away just a little before midnight to find a quiet space, and then he winked. Well, it was really more of a leer. Or maybe kinda both."

"What?" Arthur blushed. "No, it wasn't like that at all! The timing was just an accident."

Alfred laughed. "Whatever, it looks like Francis is gonna win the bet."

Arthur's blush turned into the flush of anger. "You let them bet on whether or not I would kiss you?" he asked indignantly.

Alfred raised his hands in front of him, palms facing outward. "Hey, the betting wasn't my idea," he said, attempting to mollify Arthur.

Arthur continued scowling furiously. "But you're going to go back and tell them who 'won.' So tell me: what did each of them guess?"

"Uh, Francis said you would kiss me, Stuart thought you lacked the guts. Gavan said you would kiss me and then slap me."

Arthur thought for a second and then slapped Alfred, hard.

"Ow! What was that for?" Alfred held up a hand to his stinging cheek.

"I like Gavan better than Francis. Now go run back to your new friends, you deserve each other."

Arthur walked away as Alfred stood silently in the alcove, a red mark increasingly visible on his cheek.

The next morning, Arthur received a rose with a note saying "Happy New Year! Hope this year is better than the last." Considering the previous year had involved one attempted murder and one attempted kidnapping, Arthur sincerely hoped that the next year would be a better one. There were only a few ways it could get worse, and all would be extremely unpleasant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Navigate the Windward Passage" is an old-timey euphemism for anal sex. There actually is a Windward Passage near Haiti, not that Alfred would be able to find it on a map anyway since it's not part of the US.
> 
> Translations:
> 
> bì zuǐ (闭嘴) = shut up


	12. Winter Blues

_In which Arthur consults with the fairies, Chun-Yan celebrates the New Year, and Alfred reveals a secret passageway._

It was too cold in the middle of winter to retreat to his garden, so Arthur chose the next best option of hiding in the greenhouse to talk with his fairy friends.

"What am I doing wrong?" he asked. He'd made a mess of things with Alfred and his reign as Queen wasn't going very well either.

The fairies patted him on the shoulder sympathetically with their tiny hands. "There, there, Arthur, this course never does run smoothly."

"Just once, I wish my life could run smoothly."

"Hey, Arthur, is that you?" a voice suddenly called out from the other side of the greenhouse. It was Alfred. Arthur panicked and tried to hide behind a rose bush, earning himself a few scratches for his trouble, but failing to actually disappear from view. He should have chosen a softer plant for hiding.

"Is there someone else in here?" Alfred asked as he approached, peering into the bushes. "I thought I heard you talking."

"No, I was just talking to myself," Arthur quickly replied. It sounded a little crazy, but less crazy than saying that he was talking to fairies.

"Well, I'm glad I found you! I came here to get this for you and then you're right here, pretty lucky, I guess." He handed Arthur a single stalk of purple hyacinth flowers. "The gardener told me these meant 'I'm sorry' which is good, because I want to say I'm sorry. It was totally not cool of me to let your brothers bet like that. For what it's worth, I refused to tell them who won."

"Well, that's something at least," Arthur said, taking the flower.

One of the fairies started whispering into Alfred's ear and he took on the perplexed expression of someone trying to understand why some of his thoughts suddenly sounded remarkably different and oddly feminine. Arthur was surprised, it took some touch of magic to be able to hear the fairies at all, even if you couldn't see them. He glared at the fairy, which meant he was glaring at the air just to the right of Alfred's ear.

"Arthur, are you still mad at me?" Alfred asked, looking over his shoulder just in case Arthur was glaring at someone else in the greenhouse.

Arthur realized his mistake too late and quickly dropped the glare. "No, I'm fine."

"Uh, okay. Cya later then," Alfred said before wandering off, still looking slightly confused as he stuck a finger in his ear and tried to clean out his ear. Arthur resisted the urge to complain about his unhygienic habits. Once he was certain that Alfred had completely left the greenhouse, Arthur resumed his conversation with the fairies.

"Periwinkle, what do you think you were you doing?" he asked crossly.

She pouted. "I was trying to get him to recognize that you were upset about more than just the bet. Honestly, Arthur, how are you ever going to make things right unless you bring them into the open? And you could make some effort to offer apologies when you've treated someone poorly."

Arthur sighed. "I appreciate that you're trying to help, but I can handle this on my own," he insisted. "I'll stop by to see you later, alright?" The fairies reluctantly nodded. Arthur wasn't ready to offer any apologies just yet, even though he usually took the fairies' advice. He needed time. Alfred's words had hit close to home, forcing Arthur to rethink the way he had treated the King since his coronation.

As Arthur walked away, he heard the fairies continue to chat on their own. "Do you think we should just brew up a love potion? That's what the other fairies do."

"It's not like it would make a difference. And with our luck, it would just end up hitting other people. Periwinkle, you know that messing with love potions always results in a complete farce."

"I know, I'm just annoyed at how long this is taking!"

"Patience, my friend, patience."

* * *

Arthur spent the next few weeks with a severe case of cabin fever. He hadn't traveled outside of Ace for the past eight months, ever since his fateful trip to Fort Bower. He wanted to travel on the seas again, to feel the ocean breeze in his hair, to complete his duties as Queen in person instead of relying on messengers. Everything seemed so much simpler on a ship. He felt like it was the only time he could really think things through properly. More than anything else, he wished that he and Alfred could return to a ship and pretend that the last six months had never happened.

"We've heard nothing concerning the Clockwrights?" Arthur asked Chun-Yan for the twelfth time that month. He would feel better with any sort of update, the silence unnerved him. It was possible the group had fallen apart, perhaps after the King's coronation, but it was also possible they had simply become better at protecting the secrecy of their conspiracy. When it came to conspiracies, no news wasn't always good news.

"Nothing, aru. In fact, all of the rebellions have been quiet lately. I believe they've had a harder time recruiting because of the recent reforms. Much of the anger has dissipated." She quietly sorted through the papers, demonstrating how the stack had dwindled recently.

"You really think they've had that much of an effect?" Arthur asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, a pot will boil over if you don't release enough steam. These changes have removed the lid and released steam, aru."

"Pots tend to explode no matter what I do."

Chun-Yan rolled her eyes. "Cooking may not have been the best metaphor to use with you."

"If the Clockwrights are quiet for the moment, then I think it would be safe for me to take a voyage," Arthur said, barely containing his excitement to leave the stifling confines of Ace. A trip was what he needed to help clear his mind!

Chun-Yan coughed. "Actually, I was planning to travel to visit my family for the New Year, aru. It wouldn't be a good idea for us to both leave at the same time."

"Of course." Arthur nodded, seeing the wisdom in her choice. He didn't want to leave Alfred in charge of the entire country either. However, the timing seemed odd. "Isn't it a bit late to celebrate the New Year?" he asked.

"The lunar New Year. It's traditional to spend the time with family." Chun-Yan's face softened as she mentioned her family. Although it was hard to read the Jack, Arthur realized that she must have wanted to make the trip home for a long time, but had been unable for the past six years because of her duty to Spades. Apparently she felt comfortable traveling only once the country had all three of its rulers. Realizing his selfishness, Arthur felt guilty for suggesting a trip for himself. Just because he didn't want to spend holidays with his family didn't mean that everyone felt the same way.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the King and I will manage to keep the country running in your absence," Arthur said reassuringly.

"Xièxie. I'll show you what needs to be done, aru."

As she listed off the duties he needed to take care of during her two week trip, Arthur discovered a new-found appreciation for Chun-Yan's hard work. Arthur knew what it felt like to be unappreciated, and he began to realize that Chun-Yan suffered from the same problem. He decided to do something nice to thank the Jack for her efforts and show that he understood how hard she worked for Spades. Arthur normally only used his diplomatic skills when he wanted something from a foreign official, but the same skills could be used just as easily for personal gifts. A small amount of research quickly led him to discover the perfect gift.

Before she left, Arthur handed Chun-Yan a small present wrapped in red paper. "Um, xin nian kuai le," he said slowly, arduously working his way through the unfamiliar words.

"Your pronunciation is atrocious, aru," Chun-Yan replied, but she was smiling as she said it. She unwrapped the gift and her eyes widened. She examined the elegant silk peony hair decoration and then clipped it next to one of her hair buns. As soon as it was in her hair, Arthur knew he had chosen correctly. The peony was part of the Wang family crest and an ancient symbol of worth and nobility. 

"I just... I wanted to thank you for working so hard for Spades," Arthur explained. "I'm sorry I haven't always been the easiest person to deal with." That was certainly an understatement, but Arthur found the apology nearly as difficult to utter as the foreign phrase.

Chun-Yan brushed her fingers along the flower and her smile softened. "You're welcome. I know I can have a temper of my own, but I think we work well together." She paused. "And I regret blaming you for things that weren't your doing."

"Well, you're certainly not the only one to take out frustration on the wrong person," Arthur admitted ruefully, beginning to suspect that Chun-Yan wasn't the only one who deserved an apology from the Queen.

* * *

 

After Chun-Yan departed, leaving the country in the hands of its King and Queen, Arthur discovered to his shock and amazement that Alfred actually could do math. In fact, the king worked his way through the accounting sheets with ease, although he had a tendency to want to borrow money for fireworks and cake, which explained why Chun-Yan always complained about his spendthrift ways. Combined with the revelation of how the King's reforms had helped the country, Arthur had to look at Alfred in a new light. Perhaps the clocks had made the right choice with Alfred and it was Arthur who was the mistake.

As they sat together in Chun-Yan's study, working on opposite sides of the desk, Arthur decided that he really ought to compliment Alfred on his reforms and apologize for being such an obstructionist. He wasn't very good at apologies, so he had a hard time figuring out how to start.

"Alfred, a lot of your ideas are pretty ridiculous and many are far too expensive…" he began.

The King kept writing. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

"But on the whole, I think they've been a real improvement to Spades."

"Uh huh."

He took a deep breath and forced out his final sentence. "I'm sorry that I've tried to shoot down every idea instead of helping you craft proposals."

"Mmm," Alfred replied nonchalantly. 

"But I want you to know that I'll help you with your ideas from now on." Arthur waited with bated breath. He was disappointed as Alfred continued writing figures without responding. Arthur pursed his lips. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Huh?" Alfred looked up with a slight frown of concentration. "Sorry, I kinda tune you out when you start complaining. Was there something else?"

"I was trying to offer you a compliment, you git!"

Alfred beamed and set down his pen. "Really? Could you repeat the compliment part?"

"I was complimenting your tact and listening skills," Arthur said dryly.

"Yeah, I'm pretty awesome at that stuff."

"Not to mention your ability to understand innuendos and sarcasm."

"That too… hey, wait a second!" Alfred pouted. "Those aren't compliments, you're just insulting me again."

"Well, maybe you should have listened properly the first time!"

"Well maybe I would listen more if you didn't criticize all the time!"

"That's what I was trying to apologize for, you git!"

"Well, you're not very good at apologies!" Alfred shouted.

"I know!" Arthur shouted back.

They both stared at each other from across the desk. Arthur let his head fall to the dusk, landing with a dull thump. He had imagined his apology going much better than this.

"So... wanna try this again?" Alfred asked after a few moments.

"Ugh. Yes, wait here."

Arthur returned after ten minutes with a stalk of purple hyacinth flowers which he promptly tossed onto the desk in front of Alfred. He crossed his arms and glared. "I'm sorry that everything I say is a criticism, and I'm sorry that I never tried to improve your ideas, even when they were daft."

"That is a terrible apology."

Arthur scowled. "What do you want me to do, cry?" 

"That would help, at least I'd know you were being sincere instead of sarcastic. Though honestly, you shouldn't feel too bad for the criticisms—they helped a lot."

"What?" Arthur frowned in confusion. "You mean you took them to heart?"

Alfred grinned and shook his head. "No, I mean that the other nobles hate you, so when you're against an idea, they're in favor of it." 

Even though Arthur wanted to get mad and yell at Alfred for using him to achieve his political goals, he'd already discovered over the past three months that the fighting didn't help and he couldn't really blame Alfred when Arthur hadn't been acting out of the purest motives either. What Alfred was doing was important for the country and Arthur had to find a way to help those efforts despite their personal problems. He took a deep breath and looked Alfred straight in the eye. "I think you were right about separating our role as King and Queen from our own personal feelings. I'm going to do my best to help you because I think you're the King this country needs right now."

Alfred's eyes widened with shock and delight. "Do you really mean that?"

"Yes, and if you want me to keep playing the villain to help pass the reforms, I'll do that too. After all, it takes advantage of my natural criticism skills," Arthur added with a wry smile.

"What about Alfred and Arthur, are we good?"

"Of course, we're fine," Arthur lied. He faked a smile, glad for once that Alfred couldn't read the atmosphere to save his life. Arthur was just going to have to put the country before his own personal, complicated feelings. He was jealous of Alfred's popularity, even as he found himself falling harder for the handsome, kind young man. He wanted Alfred, but he could never be a good enough person to deserve him. Unable to handle his painful thoughts, he went back to his own study, locked the door, and hid from Alfred for the rest of the day.

* * *

As he read military strategy books late into the night, Arthur was tempted to ignore the tentative knocking on his bedroom door. Instead he sighed, climbed out of bed, and padded across the wooden floor. There was only one person who would come knocking at this hour and he would insist on knocking until Arthur opened the door.

"Alfred, what do you want?" Arthur asked wearily. He blocked the doorway with his body, preventing Alfred from entering.

For a moment, Alfred stared at Arthur with the same confused expression he had worn earlier in the greenhouse. "Are you upset?" he asked hesitantly.

"No, this is just my face," Arthur said coldly and then immediately regretted his sarcastic retort. "I'm tired," he said, trying to cover his earlier mistake.

"You _are_ upset, I can tell."

Given his mess of confused feelings, Arthur found it easiest to default to anger. "Well, congratulations, you've learned to understand facial expressions and verbal nuance," he snapped. "Perhaps in a few years you'll master sarcasm."

After a brief flicker of hurt, Alfred narrowed his eyes. "Geez, I just wanted to talk, there's no need to be snippy."

"Is that the best you can manage as an insult?" Arthur taunted. "Honestly, don't even try, you'll never be as good as I am."

"Why are you trying to make me as mean as you are?" Alfred demanded. Arthur's eyes widened in shock and they both stood still in the sudden silence. "This isn't me," Alfred said quietly, "and this isn't you either."

Arthur stared at Alfred and shook his head. "Yes, it is. I'm harsh and demanding and I have a terrible temper. Everyone will tell you that." At the word 'everyone,' Arthur flung out an arm to gesture in front of him, using the motion to capture everyone at the castle. "Why don't you see it, Alfred?" he asked unhappily.

Alfred looked uncharacteristically serious. "We were friends, I know you can be nice and kind and that you have the most amazing smile when you're happy. And I see how _hard_ you work and when people are mean to you, you snap back, because they don't appreciate you, but I don't understand why you're snapping at me. Everyone else…" Alfred sucked in a breath, his blue eyes widening in realization. "Oh, that's it, isn't it?" he spoke almost as if to himself. "Everyone loves me, even when I act like a total goof, but you work so hard and they ignore you. It's not fair."

"Life's not fair. I've never pretended it was otherwise," Arthur replied tartly. He tried to maintain his scowl, but mostly he just felt sad. Alfred's description of the circumstances made him sound so petty—and even Arthur had to admit that most people didn't like him because he wasn't the most likeable person—but he couldn't control how upset he felt at the whole situation. His jealousy rubbed him raw and Alfred's pity and sympathy just made it worse.

"I'm sorry," Alfred said softly, moving closer.

"Go away," Arthur said, and unable to stand any more of Alfred's sympathy, he quickly shut the door and locked it. Better to seem angry than to look weak. He flopped onto his bed, barely noticing as hot tears began to run down his cheeks.

The knocking resumed, louder than before. "Come on, Arthur, let me in!"

Arthur ignored the noise. Alfred would leave eventually, the people closest to him always did. Sure enough, the knocking stopped after a few minutes. He was disappointed in how quickly Alfred gave up, making him cry even harder into the pillow. They were going to drift further and further apart because he always pushed when he wanted to pull. He was doomed to play the role of Ice Queen for the rest of his life. 

Lost in his dark thoughts and hollow sobs, Arthur nearly jumped when he felt a body sit down next to him on the bed. He looked up with blurry red eyes. "H-how did you get in here?" he asked Alfred in shock. "I told you to go away!"

Alfred shook his head. "I'm not leaving," he insisted. He reached to pull Arthur into his warm embrace, but Arthur pushed him back.

"Don't pretend you care!"

"I _do_ care." Alfred reached for another hug and this time Arthur didn't have the will to resist. He buried his face into Alfred's chest, hoping to muffle his sobs, although nothing could hide his shaking shoulders. Arthur let out the tears he had refused to shed the night he nearly drowned. He let out the tears that had built up from the cruel treatment of his elder brothers and the cold treatment of his own father. He cried tears for all of his unhappiness as queen and for his jealously at Alfred. Eventually the sobs slowed down, replaced by a few hiccups. Arthur continued to bury his face in Alfred's chest, embarrassed to face Alfred after his breakdown.

"You must think me weak," Arthur said, his words muffled.

"No," Alfred responded with a tone far gentler than Arthur had ever heard the young man use before. "You're the strongest person I know."

"I find that hard to believe."

"It's true. It doesn't make you weak to lean on other people from time to time. That's what my mom always says. When I need to talk, I've always got her and Mattie."

Arthur lay still a little while longer, lost in thought and still exhausted from his crying, but no longer conflicted about his feelings. He understood where they were both coming from now. Alfred was trusting because he came from a warm and loving family. It had given him certain strengths and weaknesses: he had no trouble making friends, but he still had difficulty with the idea that people could say one thing and mean another. The blond boy had known nothing of strategy or deception until Arthur taught him. Arthur was nearly the opposite. He suspected every statement of having a hidden purpose. When he looked at politics, he saw wheels within wheels. They were very different people, but Arthur began to see a way they could really use their skills together. The fairies were right, he should have trusted in the clocks.

Suddenly Arthur remembered his earlier question. He sat bolt upright, startling Alfred. "How _did_ you get into my room? You didn't break down the door, did you?" He looked over to check, but the door still seemed to be in place. He glanced at the window, which also appeared to be still intact.

"The secret passage," Alfred replied with a grin. As Arthur surreptitiously dried his eyes with the back of his hand, he watched Alfred stand up and walk over to the wall. Alfred demonstrated how one of the wood panels moved out on hinges to reveal the King's bedroom on the other side.

"When I first moved in, I thought, hey, it's a castle, there must be tons of secret passageways! So I started looking around, and sure enough, there was one right here. Totally awesome, right?" He smiled. "Sorry, I shouldn't've just come into your room, but I heard you crying and a hero can never abandon someone who's crying. So... are we good?"

"I..." Arthur looked up and saw the same warm affection on Alfred's face that had been there before he became king. Whatever else happened, he wanted to believe that they would always have the same easy camaraderie he had enjoyed when Alfred was his guard. "Yes," he said. This time it was the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Jack Wang, I feel like the Jack always gets stuck running the country while the King and Queen of Spades have messy relationship problems in USUK cardverse fics. She deserves her vacation.
> 
> Translations:  
> Xièxie (謝謝) = thank you  
> xīn nián kuài lè (新年快樂) = Happy (Lunar) New Year


	13. Paint the Town Red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riley = New Zealand  
> Wynona = Wy

_In which Logan celebrates his birthday, Arthur reveals a rebellious past, and Alfred promises to be careful._

The next day, Alfred didn't speak of their late-night conversation, and Arthur decided he was thankful for the rare display of tact. For several days they acted as if they had reclaimed their earlier friendship, although Alfred seemed somewhat distracted, spending an unusual amount of time by himself in his study.

On the fourth day after what Arthur thought of as That Night, he learned what Alfred had been planning when Alfred smiled and presented Arthur with a list.

"What's this?" Arthur asked with a frown.

"I've outlined a 13-step plan to make you popular!" Alfred smiled charmingly.

"What." Arthur replied flatly in disbelief. He glanced through the list of items and read off a few. "Go to more parties? Dance with everyone? Alfred, I don't have time for this."

"Nope, I'm not going to accept any excuses," Alfred said cheerfully. "Just come with me to one party and I'll show you how easy it is."

"Alfred, even picking a party to attend is a political decision. I go to so few that to choose one now looks like favoritism. I'll just end up alienating one family or another."

"It's cool, I've got that part covered too. You're coming to a birthday party for Logan tonight. I'm hosting it, so people will assume that I just dragged you along. You know, silly king Alfred, he does stuff like that."

"You _are_ dragging me along," Arthur replied, but it suddenly occurred to him that Alfred's disregard for proper society behavior wasn't as ridiculous as it first seemed. Alfred was so unquestionably at the top of the social hierarchy and so confident that he had a great deal of freedom to do what he wanted. People just rewrote the rules when it came to King Alfred. Arthur had realized it was all just a game early on and had refused to play, but even that had its costs. Alfred in his own ridiculous manner had decided to play the game and simply change all of the rules so that he always won. For once, Arthur began to suspect that Alfred _did_ have something to teach him.

"You're forgetting that Logan is a distant relative of the Kirklands," Arthur added after another moment's thought.

"Isn't that a good thing? People can't get mad at you for celebrating a relative's birthday, right?" Alfred said in confusion.

"He's descended from a _disowned_ member of the Kirkland family. It will quite annoy my family if I attend his party."

"So you don't want to come?" asked Alfred with a pleading expression.

"Of course I'll come. I love annoying my family." Truer words were never spoken.

Alfred laughed. "Great! Okay, here are the rules for the party: first, don't wear blue or purple. I'm a patriot, but even I get sick of the same colors every day. Second, you have to dance with everyone who asks you. Third, try and be nice to everyone."

Arthur raised his eyebrows, but nodded. "Should I bring a present?" he asked.

"Nah, I'll just put your name on my gift."

"What are you getting him?"

"Beer."

Arthur thought beer as a present was ridiculous, but he wasn't going to disparage the importance of alcohol. Arthur continued his work for the rest of the afternoon and then spent an inordinate amount of time deciding what to wear. It turned out that his non-blue and non-purple clothing options were almost non-existent. In the end, Arthur picked a dark green vest over a white shirt and black trousers. Alfred apparently had similar difficulty because he arrived a little late wearing a wrinkled cream shirt and black pants. In one hand, Alfred held a large ceramic jug filled with beer.

"I think they threw away all of my normal clothes," Alfred said in a huff.

"Is that the gift?" Arthur asked, nodding at the jug.

"Yep. It's called a growler. Cool, huh? I think they call it that because of the noise Logan makes if you try to take it away from him. I got some beer from Logan's favorite pub."

"Hand it over." Arthur took the jug, wrapped it in brightly colored paper he had set aside for this purpose and tied it with a silver ribbon. "Gifts are meant to be _wrapped_ , it preserves the surprise."

"Thanks," Alfred said, his fingers brushing Arthur's hands as he took back the wrapped gift.

They walked down to the Grand Hall, hearing the sounds of merriment before they actually saw the party. Judging by the noise, Logan had a lot of friends. Some people seemed surprised to see Arthur when he and Alfred entered the room, but they brushed it off as Alfred quickly grabbed their attention.

"Hey, Lo!" he yelled. "Check out what me and Artie got you!"

"Arthur and I," Arthur corrected.

Alfred just laughed. "Nope, remember rules five and eight!"

Arthur pulled out the list quickly and read "5. Don't correct grammar and 8. Let people call you Artie." He groaned, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

Logan took the gift from Alfred and ripped off the wrapping paper. "Thanks, mate, you're the best!" he said with a big smile.

After delivering the present, Alfred insisted on dragging Arthur around to meet all of the different people at the party. He acted like Arthur's presence was perfectly normal and as a result, so did everyone else. Arthur tried to relax and smile, although none of it felt natural. He was grateful when someone pulled Alfred onto the dance floor, allowing Arthur to move to the side, away from the crush of people.

Arthur spent a few minutes simply watching the party. It honestly didn't seem that different from the nobles' parties (lots of people talking, eating, drinking, and dancing), except for the wild variety of colors. It was actually somewhat nice to see a room not entirely filled with various shades of one color. The other big difference was the dances. Instead of couples waltzing, the people moved up and down in two lines, learning each new dance at the beginning using a base set of moves.

"Hey eyebrows, I didn't expect to see you here," Angelique said as she moved from behind Arthur to stand next to him, both of them watching the dancers.

Arthur shrugged. "Alfred organized the party and he decided to drag me along."

"Have you met Logan's sibling Riley? That's who dragged me here." They watched the dancing for a while longer and Arthur thought he caught a glimmer of longing in Angelique's eyes. Maybe she was feeling too shy to ask someone to dance.

Recognizing his duty as a gentleman and remembering his promise to be nice for the night, Arthur cleared his throat to catch Angelique's attention. She looked over quizzically. "Would you like to dance, pigtails?" he asked.

"Really?"

"It's better than talking, isn't it?"

"True enough, eyebrows," Angelique said as she offered her arm and they joined the lines on the dance floor.

Arthur wasn't familiar with the folk dances, but he was nevertheless a skilled dancer and quickly learned the new moves. Angelique seemed to enjoy the dances, her hair and skirts whirling as she spun across the floor. They painted a pretty picture and at the end, Arthur actually found himself enjoying the dance. He could just move along with everyone else without having to think of the political ramifications of each step. It was a nice change of pace.

"That was pretty good, eyebrows," she said once the dance was over.

"Likewise, pigtails."

Arthur danced with a few other people and then decided to take another break. The folk dances seemed to require more stamina than a stately waltz. His break didn't last long, since he quickly felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Can I have this dance?" Alfred asked with a grin.

"You made me promise to dance with everyone just so I would have to dance with you," Arthur accused sternly, recognizing Alfred's ploy too late.

"Maybe… come on, you promised!"

"Fine." Arthur allowed himself to be pulled onto the dance floor once again, faking a level of bad humor that he didn't really feel. As they began dancing, even the fake bad humor disappeared. Alfred was a sloppy dancer, but he made up for his lack of skill with an overabundance of enthusiasm. By the end of the dance, Arthur was smiling. Soon they were both claimed by new dance partners and pulled to opposite sides of the dance floor.

Growing thirsty after so many dances, Arthur drank a couple cups of punch and lounged against the wall. He wasn't going to admit it to Alfred, but he had actually had quite a bit of fun. The dancing seemed to get wilder as the party went on. Most of the novices had called it quits for the night, leaving the floor to the experienced dancers. Watching the swirling fabrics and colors on the dance floor, even Arthur felt a bit dizzy.

"You should watch out for that stuff," Alfred warned, pointing to Arthur's drink as he leaned against the wall nearby. "It's pretty hard."

"What? I thought it was just punch." Arthur frowned. It looked like punch and it tasted like punch, what else was it supposed to be?

"Nah, that's applejack. It's harder than rum."

"Oh." That explained why the twirling dancers made him somewhat dizzy and why he felt the sudden pressing urge to grab Alfred and cover him with kisses under the buffet table. Arthur didn't recall tipsy make-out sessions being on Alfred's list of ways to become popular. Still, it occurred to him that they would probably work... provided one made out with enough people. In his innocence, Alfred had missed out on a viable strategy for popularity. It was probably for the best.

"Do you think you're done for the night?" Alfred asked.

"That would probably be a good idea," Arthur agreed.

They stopped to say goodbye to Logan on the way out. Since they were standing nearby, he introduced them to his younger siblings Riley and Wynona, but didn't clarify if Riley was his sister or his brother. Arthur decided it would be impolite to ask. As they stood chatting, Alfred bemoaned the lack of fireworks. "It's a pity you don't get fireworks for your birthday, Lo. The fireworks are the best part of my birthday."

"If you want fireworks so badly you could just steal some from the storage shed," Arthur suggested. Everyone looked at him in surprise, shocked that the stodgy Queen would propose petty larceny. "They always have some old ones left over. Hong and Peter usually take some every few weeks and no one ever notices," he explained.

Alfred grinned. "Arthur, that is an _awesome_ plan. Okay everyone: grab your winter coats and meet up by the storage shed in 15 minutes. We're going to light off some fireworks!"

"What?" asked Arthur, before he was pulled away to participate in another one of Alfred's crazy schemes. In hindsight, it was probably a mistake to suggest stealing fireworks. On the other hand, the alcohol-soaked part of his brain thought it was a great idea.

Logan, Riley, Wynona, and Angelique were waiting by the shed when Alfred and Arthur arrived finally arrived. "It's locked!" Wynona whined.

Arthur knelt down to inspect the lock for a moment. It looked fairly simple. "Hey, pigtails, got a hairpin?" he asked. She had to be keeping the ribbons in place somehow. She nodded and handed one over. In a matter of seconds, Arthur unlocked the door, opening it to reveal the assortment of fireworks within. He returned the pin to Angelique.

"Holy crap, you can pick locks? That's so amazing!" said Alfred. Logan and Alfred entered the shed, quickly selecting their favorite fireworks. Arthur relocked the shed and the group hastily slipped out via one of the servant side entrances, not wanting to be caught on castle grounds with stolen fireworks. There wasn't anything the guards could really do to punish the King and Queen for stealing fireworks, but it would still be embarrassing.

They hurried down narrows streets to the docks, which would be deserted at this time of night. The group huddled together and walked quickly to keep themselves warm in the cold night air.

"I wish I had a summer birthday," Logan said wistfully.

Once they reached the piers, Alfred took charge of setting up the fireworks while the others found crates to perch on for a good view. "Okay, here goes!" he yelled, lighting the end of the wick he had tied to each firework to ensure they would go off in quick succession. Alfred raced back to the crates and took a seat next to Arthur.

The rockets exploded over the harbor, creating a dazzling light show in the sky mirrored by the reflection of the lights in the water. Red, white, and blue lights lit up the sky, shining extra bright in the crisp winter air. The brief show ended with a large white explosion that transformed into a cascade of falling golden sparks. They laughed and clapped, exuberant in the glow of a stolen firework show.

"Hey, what are you kids doing?" a voice suddenly yelled from the far side of the docks.

"Run!" Angelique cried and they all prepared to take off in different directions.

"Meet up at Lo's house!" Alfred called, grabbing Arthur's hand and pulling him down from the crate. They raced together into an alleyway and then through several side streets. When it became clear the man hadn't followed them, they leaned against a wall to catch their breath.

"I haven't had this much fun breaking the rules since boarding school," Arthur said between breaths, chuckling to himself.

Alfred gaped. "Seriously? I always thought you would have been a total stickler for the rules."

"On the contrary, they ended up expelling me because I sneaked out of the dormitories so often."

"No way! Is that where you learned to pick locks?" Alfred looked excited and curious to hear more.

"Among other skills." Arthur grinned.

"Hey, if we take the long path, can you tell me all about rule-breaking, lock-picking, kickass Arthur?"

"Sure." They walked slowly as Arthur began to describe his teenage years. At age 14, sick of standing in the shadow of his three older brothers, he had decided that it was time to say to hell with authority. He drank alcohol, threw parties at the family manor house, dyed his hair green, and went wild. His family reacted by sending him to boarding school, where Arthur continued to break all of the rules. He ended up expelled and shipped off to Diamonds so that his antics wouldn't ruin the family's reputation in Spades.

"Wow, so why'd you suddenly turn into a stodgy old man?"

"I'm only four years older than you," Arthur retorted, more out of reflex rather than genuine anger. After a moment, he finished his story. "I met someone in Diamonds and I thought we were going to be together, but it ended poorly. After that, it just didn't seem fun any more."

"Oh, hey, I'm sorry, Artie." Alfred patted his shoulder.

"Well, my family was glad to have their 'little gentleman' back, but they never did forgive me for those crazy years."

"Hey, I think it's awesome that you pretend to be a gentleman but then you like to run off and steal fireworks and pick locks and get drunk at random bars."

"If I recall correctly, you were the one who got drunk at the bar," Arthur responded with a smirk.

By the time Alfred and Arthur arrived at Logan's home, Riley, Wynona, Angelique, and Logan were already engrossed in a card game. Alfred insisted on being dealt in on the next round, but Arthur was content to merely sit and watch. He wedged himself into the couch next to Alfred. Arthur listened to the conversation for a while, before allowing the words to simply lap over him like the waves of the ocean. His eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep, his head resting somewhere warm and comfortable.

* * *

Arthur woke in the dark to the sound of quiet voices talking in another room. It took a moment for Arthur to remember why he was sleeping curled up in the corner on a couch instead of his own bed. He felt surprisingly warm and noticed that what he had assumed to be a blanket was actually Alfred's brown jacket. He focused on the voices and could barely make out their conversation.

"…wasn't what I was expecting, that's for sure, mate."

"Admit it, I was right when I said he was a lot of fun," said Alfred.

"Alrighty, mate, you were right," Logan admitted with a small laugh. Arthur realized that they were talking about him and listened closely.

"I never thought I would hear anyone say that," a third and softer voice said.

"Hey, come on, Matt, don't be mean!"

"I still think it's a bad idea, mate."

"Just… be careful, eh?"

"Oh, come on, when am I not careful?"

"…"

"You broke your leg when you slipped on a puddle of syrup."

"Okay, one, that syrup was totally your fault, and two—"

"Don't forget when you burned your hands with fireworks, mate."

"Or that incident with Sven's scarf, eh. He certainly hasn't forgotten."

"Okay fine, maybe a few times I've been less than careful…"

"Al, I could go on for three hours." Despite the soft tone, Matt's voice sounded deadly serious.

"Oh, hey, look at the time! I really should be getting back to the castle, y'know?"

Arthur had just a moment to close his eyes and pretend to be asleep before he heard Alfred entering the room. "Hey, Artie, wake up," Alfred said as he lightly shook Arthur's shoulder.

Opening his eyes, Arthur faked a yawn. "Time to leave? Don't forget your jacket," he said, returning the garment to Alfred.

"Hey, thanks for keeping it warm for me!" Alfred smiled and Arthur could feel the warmth spreading throughout his body, ending up in the form of a blush on his cheeks. He hurried out the door after Alfred, hoping the cool night air would hide his blushes. He told himself that the heat was just a result of the alcohol he had unintentionally consumed. They walked back side by side, arms nearly brushing with every step, and Arthur felt warm the entire way home.

* * *

 

A week and a half later, Alfred threw a birthday party for Riley, which Arthur attended as well. Once he gave up trying to figure out if Riley was a guy or a girl (everyone simply replied that Riley was Riley), Arthur found himself enjoying the celebration. Alfred hadn't made him promise to dance with everyone, but he did it anyway, including another dance with Alfred, which was the highlight of the night. He even had fun talking with Angelique, since they both relished having a good verbal sparring partner. Thankfully, this time they didn't steal any fireworks. Arthur enjoyed the occasional illicit escapade, but he had no desire to relive his teenage years.

Alfred's friends seemed to like Arthur, which was good, because he definitely planned to spend a lot more time with Alfred. The sappy part of his brain supplied the answer that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him, while the practical part reminded him that he would have to serve the rest of his life with the King, so he needed to take his steps slowly and carefully. Rushing headlong into a relationship would invite trouble. Always practical, Arthur resolved to spend more time with Alfred, get to know him better, and then... they would see what happened next.


	14. White as a Ghost

_In which Alfred is scared of ghosts, Seamus sees fairies, and Arthur plays politics._

Arthur was woken up by the sound of knocking, but it didn't seem to be coming from his bedroom door. Instead it came from the side of the wall. The Queen groggily pulled himself out of bed, remembering the secret passageway between the two bedrooms. He opened the door and gave Alfred his best I-was-trying-sleep-this-had-better-be-important look.

"Arthur, can I sleep with you?" Alfred asked tentatively, holding his pillow across his chest.

"Excuse me?" Arthur replied, startled as the heat raced to his cheeks. Was Alfred drunk? He didn't look drunk. What had brought _this_ on so suddenly?

"Please? Logan was telling me ghost stories after dinner and now I can hear them outside my room," Alfred whimpered. He had left his glasses in his room and he looked impossibly young with his wide and fearful blue eyes.

"Alfred, ghosts aren't real," Arthur said and patted his shoulder, trying to calm the king.

"I know! But… do you think _they_ know that?" Alfred bit his lip and begged. "Pleeease?"

Arthur sighed and gave in. Of course he gave in, he thought, he _always_ gave in. For some reason, the word 'no' seemed to escape his vocabulary whenever Alfred entered the room. He gestured to the bed, "Fine, the bed is plenty big. Just, stick to your side."

"Thanks, Arthur! You're the best!" Alfred smiled brightly. Arthur suddenly realized why he always gave in—it was worth it to see that grin return to Alfred's face. Alfred jumped onto the bed and quickly made himself comfortable. "Tell me a story so I can forget about Logan's stories," he said. "Tell me one of _your_ stories, one with dragons!"

"You're ridiculous," Arthur said. But Alfred continued to beg shamelessly and Arthur gave in. He told the story of a princess who was completely unlike his family and who decided to run away from home to serve as a princess for a dragon, which was a very respectable position back in those days. Princesses cooked and cleaned for their dragons and helped them with magic spells. Since this princess was an excellent cook, cleaner, and magician, he served the dragon well and they became great friends. The dragon even enjoyed his crunchy scones. Eventually, the princess discovered a plot against his dragon from another jealous dragon and started to spy to help his dragon… At that point in the story, Arthur realized that Alfred had already fallen asleep. Arthur smiled, tucked the blankets around the sleeping king, and quickly drifted off to sleep himself.

By morning, Alfred had shifted onto Arthur's side of the bed, curling himself around the Queen as if he were a large pillow. Arthur loosened himself from the sleeping king's grip and silently moved about the room, dressing himself and preparing for the day. He debated whether or not to wake Alfred, but decided to let the young man sleep in. If he had spent the first portion of the night terrified of ghosts, he probably needed his sleep. The fact that Alfred looked adorable while sleeping played absolutely no role in Arthur's decision and certainly didn't lead the queen to spend several minutes just watching the young king sleep, sprawled out messily on the bed. Arthur chuckled to himself, still surprised that someone as confident as Alfred could be terrified of children's ghost stories.

* * *

If Chun-Yan noticed any change in Arthur and Alfred's relationship after her return, she didn't mention it to Arthur. She did receive a report about the illicit firework explosions and muttered under her breath about irresponsible teenagers. She even gave the order to install more locks, remarking that castle security was too lax. Arthur hid his grin and was thankful that Hong had been traveling with Chun-Yan, protecting him from any possible blame.

"Did you have a nice trip?" he asked instead, distracting Chun-Yan from the fireworks topic.

"Yes, except for Yong Soo. But he had enough relatives around to harass that he didn't focus all of his attention on me."

"Perhaps you should take Alfred next time, he seems to keep Yong Soo entertained."

Chun-Yan smiled thoughtfully. "Maybe I should..."

"Now that you're back, I'm preparing for a trip myself," said Arthur.

"Hearts, Clubs, or Diamonds?"

"Actually none of the above. I think I should visit Foulness Island to see Seamus."

Chun-Yan arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Arthur nodded. Even though he still hated that wanker for nearly killing him, he was beginning to wonder if banishing his brother had been the wisest decision. Arthur knew his family had a low tolerance for liquor and he found it hard to believe that Seamus would have tried to push him off the ship if he were sober. The alcohol had made him willing to act on his desires without thinking of the consequences. There was still truth in alcohol, enough to prove that Seamus had wanted to hurt him. Nevertheless, showing leniency towards his brother would be an easy way for the Queen to improve his reputation among the nobles.

Arthur traveled to Foulness with his brother Gavan, who was the mildest of his brothers, provided one avoided sheep jokes. On the rare occasions when they weren't mocking Arthur, Stuart and Seamus used to enjoy teasing Gavan about calling sheep his favorite animal as a child. He still considered the area to be a sore spot. For his part, Gavan avoided mentioning unicorns or fairies and they reached Foulness in relative peace.

Foulness Island was a tiny islet comprised of tall cliffs. Thousands of birds nested in the cliffs, giving the island its original name of Fowl's Nest. Over time the hurried pronunciation of the words had devolved into a less attractive name. Perhaps because of the unhappy connotations of the new name, the island had become the chosen location for Spades' political prisoners. It had also become a magnet for the nastier sort of fairy, although there was very little they could do to non-magical prey that could neither hear nor see them.

There was only one narrow path to reach the fort at the top of the island, making it a nearly impenetrable fortress. Arthur and Gavan climbed to the top, chilled by the winds despite the warm spring weather, and approached Seamus' cell. The plan was simple. Gavan would go in to talk with Seamus since they both assumed Seamus would be more honest with Gavan than with Arthur. Meanwhile, Arthur would wait outside the door, listening to the entire conversation. Based on what he heard, he would decide if Seamus deserved a pardon.

Gavan entered alone and Arthur listened intently as they exchanged greetings. Seamus sounded tired and lethargic, barely responding to Gavan's questions.

However, after a few minutes, Seamus lowered his voice and began whispering intently to Gavan. "Gavan, you have to help me," he pleaded. "Do ye remember how Arthur used to always talk about seeing fairies? I didn't believe it either, but I've found out that they're _real_. I've seen 'em! He plotted with the fairies to take the throne. They control the clock and they're helping him to increase their own power. Gavan, you've got to help me save Spades."

"Oh, Seamus, I'm so sorry," said Gavan sadly. "I'll try to help you as best I can. I have to go now, but I'll be back soon."

Gavan closed the door behind him and shook his head sadly. "This place has driven him barmy. You should have seen how scared he looked when he talked about the 'fairies,'" said Gavan pityingly.

Arthur nodded, agreeing with Gavan's assessment, but for completely different reasons. Sometimes people driven to the edge of sanity discovered their latent ability to see the magical realm. The sudden imprisonment had apparently been enough to give Seamus the power to see fairies—or at least _hear_ fairies —and he had decided that the creatures were evil and helping Arthur. Since he was currently surrounded by cruel fairies, his assumptions made sense. Arthur hadn't considered that his brother would fall prey to fairy malice.

"He's clearly sick," Arthur agreed. "In light of his illness, I'm willing to place him under house arrest at the family manor house. However, once he recovers, he's going to have to make a full and public apology." He wasn't willing to forgive Seamus, but it was clear his brother would only get worse at Foulness Island. Arthur made the arrangements to transfer Seamus, hoping to put the matter behind him once and for all.

* * *

"Okay, are you ready to hear my awesome proposal? You might want to sit down." Alfred paced back and forth in front of Arthur's desk, clearly unable to contain his excitement while sitting down.

"Yes, yes, Alfred, just get to the point." Arthur had promised to help Alfred with his reforms, he hadn't promised to put up with his constant bragging.

"So I was thinking we should have the people of Spades elect the Royal Council members." Alfred paused and grinned, immensely proud of his idea.

"Hmm, they tried implementing that idea during the Sixth King's reign."

Alfred gaped. "Wait, what?" Obviously he hadn't been reading the history books Arthur had given him. Somehow, Arthur wasn't surprised.

"The country nearly ended up in a civil war. Apparently, the wrong people won."

"You think it's a bad idea."

"No, I'm saying we need to learn from their mistakes. Have you already spoken with Chun-Yan?"

Alfred sighed. "Yeah, she said that elections were a waste of time and money. I didn't bring it up with the council because I needed her help coming up with a plan."

Arthur smirked. "Not any more, you don't."

He began to craft a strategy and explained it to Alfred. The first problem was that it would be hard to convince the current council members to give up their power. The current twelve seats were divided amongst the twelve oldest noble families in Spades. Generally, the head of the family held the seat, although some members delegated their position to a son or daughter. They would never agree to the idea of commoners having a say in who held their seats, much less allowing commoners to actually serve as council members themselves.

Instead of a direct attack on their power, Arthur decided to start by addressing the logistics. Any voting system would require voter rolls of all people over the age of 18. Fortunately, Arthur had a very good excuse for why the kingdom needed to collect that information. He noted that the reforms made selection of a commoner more likely for one of the royal positions and that Spades would once again have difficultly locating its new King, Queen, or Jack unless it had records for everyone's birthdates. With the memory of the past hunt for a King still fresh in their minds, the council readily agreed and appropriated funds to collect the information in villages and towns.

"The next step is showing them that someone elected can serve on the council. I would recommend suggesting that we add a representative for Ace," explained Arthur.

"Why just Ace? Why not all of the towns and territories?"

"Wait until someone proposes that and then let them think that it was their idea. You'll most likely end up with an advisory council of representatives for all of the different towns and territories. Chun-Yan will support the idea because she wants more representation for the territories. However, you need to understand that the group won't have much power at first, they'll just offer their opinion."

"So what's the point of setting up a separate elected council if they won't actually have the power to do anything?" Alfred asked, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Do you remember the history of how we developed the current royal council?" When Alfred shook his head, Arthur continued the story. "The third King became incredibly paranoid in his later years and began to think that the Queen was plotting against him. When the Jack died suddenly, the King accused the Queen of murdering the Jack and threatened to execute her. The kingdom was in complete chaos because no one was sure whether to obey the King or the Queen, so the nobles set up a council to put the Queen on trial for treason. They found her innocent and then kept the council as a way to make decisions when the royals disagreed."

Alfred frowned. "So you're saying I should threaten to execute you? I don't like this plan very much."

"No, I'm saying that big change generally occurs as the result of a crisis. If you put the representative council in place now, you'll be able to disband the royal council if an opportunity arises. Meanwhile, the representatives can build up expertise and perhaps accumulate more power. You're placing the pieces on the board, putting them in position, and then waiting for the right moment to strike."

Alfred proposed the idea to the Royal Council and they reacted almost precisely as Arthur had predicted. One noble from a distant area of Spades suggested adding a representative for her area, and soon they had agreed to 12 new representatives to serve on a separate council. It would vote merely in an advisory capacity, but Arthur began to think of it as the Replacement Council.

After the long meeting ended, Alfred pulled him aside. "Arthur, have I told you lately that you're awesome and a little bit frightening?" he remarked.

"Politics isn't hard. It's merely a question of predicting what your opponent will do," Arthur replied modestly.

"I guess this is the reason the Queen is the most powerful piece in chess, huh?" Alfred tilted his head to the side and quickly lost himself in a different train of thought. "I wonder what piece the Jack would be. I mean, Chun-Yan doesn't seem like a Bishop. I guess she's more of a Rook? Or maybe she's like all of the pawns working together? But that doesn't really make sense because they can become Queen. And I'd rather be a Knight than a King because they get to do those fun jumps. You can't spell Knight without K-I-N-G, but I don't think that actually means anything. And why do they spell Knight so weirdly? It looks like you should pronounce it as ka-nig-it. But that's just weird. I was thinking we should pass a uniform spelling law. I don't really see why we need c's at all."

Arthur listened in silence, wondering, not for the first time, how someone could be so visionary at times and so scatter-brained at others. More importantly, Arthur began to wonder when he had startled to classify Alfred's long-winded rambling monologues as "adorable" instead of "annoying." Arthur could listen to Alfred talk for hours, which was good, because he often did. Although this one seemed slightly more hyper than most, and Arthur thought he knew why.

"Alfred, have you been drinking coffee again?" he asked chidingly. Alfred's impish smile was all the answer he needed.

* * *


	15. Greener Pastures

_In which Alfred offers flowers, Elizabeta offers relationship advice, and Arthur decides to take a chance._

"I can't believe you're going to be traveling on your birthday," Alfred complained. He was sitting with Arthur out in the Queen's garden enjoying a crisp spring day and a warm cup of tea. To be more accurate, Arthur was enjoying tea, while Alfred drank some of that devil's brew he called coffee. Arthur rued the day he had ever introduced the boy to the drink. The bitter aroma of the coffee threatened to overpower the delicate scent of late spring blossoms.

Arthur shrugged. "It's two weeks to Clubs and two weeks back. I'm not going to delay the trade negotiations just so I can spend my birthday in Ace. I've been here for the past four birthdays, remember?"

"Yeah, but this one was going to be awesome," Alfred said, spreading out his hands to indicate the party's level of awesomeness.

"Let me guess, a big party and fireworks? Plenty of food and drink? I'm afraid you'll just have to find someone else to steal fireworks for you." Arthur took another sip of his tea, pleased that Alfred had wanted to celebrate his birthday. The last four had passed by almost entirely unnoticed.

Alfred pouted. "It's no fun without you." 

"We'll set off fireworks for your birthday," Arthur promised.

"Yeah, but it's more fun when they're not stolen."

"There's just no pleasing you, is there?" asked Arthur dryly.

"Hey, since you can't have a party, at least you can have you gift. Close your eyes!" After an are-you-kidding-me look from Arthur was countered by a puppy dog look from Alfred, Arthur sighed and closed his eyes.

"You forgot to wrap it, didn't you?" Arthur asked, eyes still closed. He heard Alfred walk deeper into the garden and then return a minute later. Still keeping his eyes closed, Arthur frowned in confused. Alfred had been hiding the gift in the garden?

"Okay, you can open your eyes, now!" As Arthur did, Alfred gestured to the pot of flowers now sitting on the table. "These are for you. White violets," he said proudly. If Arthur recalled correctly, the flowers meant 'Let's take a chance on happiness.'

"You're giving me an oxymoron as a present?" Arthur asked. Before Alfred could frown, he continued. "They're lovely, thank you. I've always thought this garden could use a few more colors. The blue and purple flowers can be overpowering. And thank your mother too, since I can see her handiwork in your gift."

Alfred laughed. "There's no fooling you. She really wanted to help. She likes you, you know. And I like you too. A lot." He blushed and smiled and looked so endearingly hesitant that Arthur found it difficult to breathe.

"I rather noticed. And…" Arthur couldn't let the perfect moment slip away from him. "The feeling is mutual," he said, blushing furiously once he managed to find his voice. Alfred beamed and reached for his hand across the table. For a few blissful moments they sat in that pose smiling like idiots. If only Arthur could forget about his duties and just stay in the garden holding Alfred's hands forever. Unfortunately, he had places to be.

"So now what?" Alfred asked.

"Well, I still need to leave for Clubs, so you can give me a goodbye kiss and then see me off at the docks," Arthur replied regretfully. It didn't completely answer Alfred's question, but Alfred smiled and they both leaned forward, lips meeting over the middle of the small table. The kiss was warm and soft, and Arthur enjoyed it even if Alfred did taste slightly of coffee. Perhaps he could learn to like the brown liquid better if it always reminded him of Alfred.

True to his word, Alfred joined him in the carriage and wished him a wistful goodbye as they watched servants load the suitcases and supplies. However, even once the ship was fully loaded, it still remained tied to the dock. One of the sailors approached Arthur with a nervous expression. "Your majesties, we're currently having a spot of trouble with a stowaway."

Arthur frowned. "So what's the matter? Kick him off."

"Well, uh, I'm afraid he is a she and she has a pair of knives, sir."

Arthur groaned, recognizing the description immediately. This was a job for someone with excellent personal skills. "Alfred, I think you'd better handle this one," he said, turning toward the king. They both walked down to the cupboard in galley where the obsessed young woman was hiding. The sailors had formed a half-ring around her location, but were too frightened by the sharp knives to move closer.

"Oh, hey, miss!" Alfred said happily to Natalia, even as she brandished her knives.

"I'm going to see big brother," she said in a tone of voice that brooked no dissent. Her eyes glinted like cold steel, providing a curious juxtaposition to her frilly dress.

Alfred just smiled in the face of danger (and daggers). "You know, I just received a letter from King Ivan? He was so pleased with your latest work in Spades! He's going to have a hard time replacing you. I don't think he's ever had an ambassador as loyal as you."

"He said that?" Natalia asked, sounding pathetically hopeful. Arthur almost pitied the girl, until he remembered that she threatened to kill him the very first day they met.

Alfred nodded. "He did."

"Then I will continue to do my best to serve my big brother!" Natalia cried happily. She just as suddenly narrowed her eyes and pointed the knives straight at Alfred. "You will come with me to the Castle and tell me all of the important information about Spades."

"Of course!" Alfred agreed with a grin. He waved back to Arthur as he escorted Natalia back to the Castle. Everyone on board the ship breathed a sigh of relief, although Arthur remained worried for Alfred's sake. The king didn't fear those knives quite as much as he should.

Arthur wished he could take Alfred with him on his trip to Clubs, but the King had to stay behind. Despite their promise to not let their positions get in the way of their relationship, separating the person from the title was impossible over such long distances.

* * *

The capital city of Clubs sat within a desolate, snowy landscape. Fortunately for Arthur, Queen Elizabeta had agreed to meet him for negotiations at the Clubs port city of Argine, greatly reducing his travel time. The city spread out low and wide across the landscape, bustling with people and carriages. At the center of the city stood the Argine Palace, which served as Clubs' winter palace during the coldest months. King Ivan had already returned to their summer palace, claiming that he preferred the cold. Arthur was just grateful that he wouldn't have to meet again with the intimidating King of Clubs.

As Arthur entered the Palace, a sudden shriek pierced the air. He turned to the side to see a lanky man with silver hair running away from Arthur as fast he could. Arthur frowned and then chuckled. Apparently Gilbert was still the ambassador from Hearts and apparently he still remembered his experience with Arthur's scones. Honestly, people could be such drama queens just because of mere scone-induced amnesia and brain trauma.

The second greeting Arthur received was much more amiable. Queen Elizabeta and Jack Roderich met him near his chambers. The Queen grabbed him in a quick hug. "It's good to see you again! Please, once you've settled in, come up to my study for a chat. There's no need to start on business until tomorrow."

Arthur nodded in agreement, and found himself tackled from behind. His third greeting was the most excited and least desirable of all. Fortunately, Arthur had prepared him for dealing with Yong Soo.

"Arthur, Arthur! It's so good to see you!" Yong Soo cried happily, finally letting go of Arthur so he could flap his arms.

"Peter and Hong came to visit you, they're out by the ship, why don't you go should them around Argine?" Arthur said in a rush, desperate to avoid any more affection from the young man. Yong Soo's curious hair curl perked up and he raced outside to go see his cousin and his cousin's friend. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. Peter and Hong had been annoying on the ship, pulling pranks on everyone and particularly on Arthur. However, it was completely worth bringing them if they distracted Yong Soo for the duration of the visit. Arthur had promised them both that he would never tell Chun-Yan of their illicit firework theft if they could just keep Yong Soo entertained or tied up or whatever they wanted for one week.

"Is he leaving with you?" Jack Roderich asked stoically, but Arthur could hear the faint trace of hope in his voice.

"No," Arthur replied firmly. If he and Alfred were stuck with Natalia, he didn't see why Clubs couldn't manage Yong Soo. Honestly, Clubs probably had the better end of the deal—Arthur had never seen Yong Soo with knives.

Roderich sighed. "Very well. I'll be at the piano, expressing my feelings," he said to Elizabeta, who nodded absent-mindedly.

Arthur deposited his suitcases in the rooms for the Spade's ambassador (which were much quieter now that Yong Soo was gone) and hurried to join Elizabeta in her study. They talked politely for several minutes before Arthur broached the topic he really wanted to discuss.

"How does it work out for you, being married to your Jack?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible

Elizabeta perked up tremendously and immediately jumped to conclusions. "Darling, are those wedding bells I hear tolling for thee? Who's the lucky someone? Tell me all about him!" She leaned forward earnestly, suddenly reminding Arthur very much of his marriage-minded mother. One part of her sentence caught Arthur's particular attention.

"Him? Who said I was dating a he?"

"Aha! So you _are_ dating someone," Elizabeta crowed victoriously.

"No! I just, well, it's complicated. I wanted to hear your thoughts on how you balance your relationship with your duty to Clubs. You and Roderich seem very happy."

A soft, wistful smile crossed Elizabeta's face. "Roddy _is_ wonderful, but it's not always easy. Sometimes we spend weeks apart." She sighed and then smiled again. "Yet every time I see him again after a long trip I remember why I fell in love with him. I think if you believe in love, you have to believe that it will all work out in the end." Her speech beautiful and exactly the sort of encouragement that Arthur's fairy friends would give. Unfortunately, Elizabeta had to quickly ruin the sentiment with her next words. "Has Kiku showed you his collection of art books? I have some to spare, if you want!"

"No, no, that's not necessary," Arthur reassured her.

She smiled slyly. "Because you don't need a book?"

Arthur reddened, but he was saved from the need to make a response by Roderich's fortuitous return. He had never been quite so happy to see the unflappable Jack, especially since Roderich had brought them beverages. The delicious hot chocolate was a wonderful way to warm up on a cool spring's day. They sipped the drinks together and when Roderich finished, Elizabeta asked him to play a song.

The Jack nodded and began to play at the baby grand piano located in the corner of the room. Arthur had noticed that nearly every room in the Clubs palace had a piano, harp, or other musical instrument. Now he knew why.

Roderich's agile fingers quickly filled the room with lovely classical music. As Arthur listened closely, he began to hear the reason why Elizabeta had picked it. The song contained two distinct melody lines, sometimes joining together to create a more intricate melody and sometimes playing separately. Each melody line was its own complete song, but they added together to create something more than the sum of its parts. They both clapped enthusiastically at the end. Arthur complimented the Jack of Clubs on his exquisite song and returned to his own room to do some much-needed thinking.

* * *

Arthur's ship returned very late at night nearly one month later, but Alfred was still there to greet him at the docks. As soon as they were sitting alone together in the carriage, Alfred gave him a quick kiss.

"I'm glad you're back," he said with a smile.

"So am I," Arthur agreed.

He liked Alfred and Alfred liked him. It should have been simple, but Arthur knew that their duties would impose additional stress on the relationship, especially with his frequent trips. There would be other obstacles too. Arthur was pretty sure that he had overheard Alfred's friend and brother warning Alfred against pursuing a relationship with him. Nevertheless, the king had clearly decided to push forward. So Arthur had a choice to make. He needed to decide if he was willing to take a chance on happiness, no matter the risks. His heart said yes. And for once, Arthur trusted his heart.


	16. Bluebird of Happiness

_In which Alfred and Arthur go on a picnic, the royals go swimming, and a unicorn appears._

The next morning, Arthur woke up much later than usual, still tired from his trip. He dragged himself out of bed, skipped breakfast, and quickly began to deal with the papers and correspondence that had built up during his absence. By noon, Arthur's stomach began to complain about the missed meal. He was putting away his papers when Alfred opened the door without even knocking first.

"Alfred, what have I told you about knocking?" Arthur complained half-heartedly.

"Sorry," Alfred said breezily. "Come on, it's a beautiful day. Let's go for a horse ride and have a picnic!"

"I have work to do." From his position seated at the desk, Arthur gestured at all of the papers in front of him.

Alfred put both hands on the desk and leaned forward. "This will still be here tomorrow, who knows if it will be sunny and beautiful tomorrow?"

"Yes, my work _will_ still be here tomorrow if I don't finish it today," Arthur resolved not to look at Alfred. He made bad decisions when looking at Alfred's smile. He focused resolutely on his piles of documents.

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," Alfred replied.

"What does Chun-Yan have to do with this? Is she coming?" Arthur frowned, confused.

"No, no, it's just a saying. You know, to remind us that there's more to life than working all the time."

"As if you need a reminder," Arthur snorted. "Do you have any folksy sayings like 'All play and no work makes Alfred a dim boy'?"

"Nope, doesn't sound familiar," said Alfred cheerfully. "Plus, you'll be more productive after you take a break." And then the cheeky young man leaned all the way across the desk, lifted Arthur's chin with one finger, and stared directly into Arthur's eyes. "It'll be fun, I promise." Arthur's breath caught as he took in Alfred's wide smile and he tried to comprehend what it promised. Alfred must have looked sultry up in the dictionary, because his smile was the very definition of sultry.

Arthur didn't know how else to respond, so he said, "Okay."

True to his word, Alfred had prepared a basket filled with a picnic lunch (the basket seemed unusually heavy, probably because it contained enough food to satisfy Alfred's stomach) and they set out on their horses, heading towards the lake at the center of the castle's adjoining park.

"Your reins and saddle are rather strange," Arthur remarked.

"Yeah, my brother and I spent a few summers with our cousins in Deuce. My aunt and uncle ranch cattle up there, so this is how we learned to ride. Our parents always told us we could be what we want to be, so they wanted to give us a chance to try different things."

"That sounds nice," Arthur said, thinking about the marked difference between their childhoods.

"Of course, my job ended up choosing me, but I wouldn't trade it for the world." Alfred glanced over at Arthur. "What about you?" 

Arthur stared into the distance and thought about his answer. He didn't feel a strong emotional attachment, but he was proud of his accomplishments. "I wouldn't want someone else to be Queen unless I knew they could perform the duties as well as I can," he finally replied.

"So you wouldn't trade it because you're the best?" Alfred asked with a smile.

Arthur glanced over and grinned. "Naturally."

The trees provided dappled shade for their ride. It was beautiful and romantic and Arthur was glad that Arthur had convinced him to take a break from work. When they reached the lake, they tied their horses to a tree close to the water. Alfred set down the basket and laid out a blanket on a smooth part of grass. "Before we eat, there's something I want to show you."

"There's something that's more important to you than food?" Arthur asked incredulously. "I have to see this."

"Follow me!" Alfred said, grabbing Arthur's hand as he led him toward a small clearing. He glanced at an odd rock outcropping and nodded to himself. Alfred turned to face Arthur, still smiling. "Okay, close your eyes."

"What sort of game are you playing?

"Come on? Please? It won't be a proper surprise unless you close your eyes."

" _Alright_ , fine," Arthur said with an exaggerated sigh and he closed his eyes. Alfred immediately grabbed both hands and led Arthur slowly forward for another minute. They stopped and Arthur could hear Alfred moving. He was tempted to peek, but decided to humor Alfred for another minute.

"Okay, you can look now!"

Arthur opened his eyes and immediately blinked in surprise. In front of him was a rose bush that looked like any other rose bush, except the flowers were all deep red in color. "Did you dye it?" he asked in surprise. He had seen many blue roses in his life, and occasionally the rare white roses, but Arthur, despite all of his gardening knowledge, had never heard of _red_ roses.

Alfred shook his head. "I just found it here a few weeks ago. I wanted to cut one and show it to you, but I remembered what you said about leaving flowers in a garden for everyone to see, and I thought you'd want to leave it whole."

"They're lovely," Arthur murmured. He leaned forward and sniffed. The scent of the roses was glorious. "I'm glad you left them here. They belong here."

They returned to their picnic basket with healthy appetites. Even Arthur ate more than usual, since he had missed breakfast, although his appetite was still nothing to compare with Alfred's. The meat-filled pasty was a working man's lunch, and therefore something Arthur had never tried before. He admitted that it was delicious and he didn't even care that his clothes were soon coated in crumbs.

"Oh, look, another crumb!" Alfred said as he leaned forward and kissed Arthur. He licked his lips and smiled as he leaned back.

Arthur smirked. "You call that a kiss?" he asked. He pinned Alfred to the blanket and proceeded to kiss him senseless. He started by kissing Alfred's lips, but quickly moved to his neck and the hollow of his collar. They explored each other with lips and tongues and fingers, dessert completely forgotten. Arthur didn't remember the last time such small, careful touches had felt quite so amazing, as if Alfred was igniting small sparks of fire wherever he touched Arthur.

After an enthusiastic and pleasant snogging, they laid down side by side on the blanket and watched fluffy clouds pass over the lake. The incongruity between their passionate kisses and the innocence of cloud-gazing made Arthur smile. Yet both activities fit Alfred perfectly.

"That one looks like a rabbit!" Alfred said, pointing up to a cloud formation that might look like a rabbit if one were squinting and drunk. Arthur said as much, making Alfred laugh. They watched the clouds drifting above them and Arthur dozed happily. His eyes blinked open as Alfred spoke again. "Hey, Arthur?"

Arthur turned on his side to face Alfred. "Mmm?"

"Can I ask for something special for my birthday?" Arthur's first instinct was to correct Alfred's grammar, but Alfred continued before he could interject. "I want you to learn to swim."

"You want me to take swimming lessons as _your_ birthday gift?"

"Well, I was thinking I could teach you here. Maybe once per week or so, we still have a few weeks before my birthday." Alfred smiled shyly, turning to face Arthur with a slight blush. Arthur thought of the two of them swimming together in the lake, just the two of them, and decided it was a marvelous idea.

* * *

 

The first lesson was the hardest. Arthur waded into the water up to his thighs and then refused to go any further. His lungs burned just at the thought of going deeper. Alfred begged, Alfred pleaded, and then Alfred decided to try a new tactic. The cheerful king moved slightly deeper and smiled. "If you reach me, I'll tell you a secret."

Arthur snorted. "That's not much of an incentive."

"Come on, it's a _really_ good secret. Only one other person knows."

"Alfred, I already know you sneak down into the kitchen for cake as a midnight snack."

"What?" Alfred looked embarrassed. "No, that's not it!"

"Give me a hint and I'll decide if it's worth it." Arthur crossed his arms, tired of this ridiculous exercise.

"Okay." Alfred took a deep breath. "I know who's been delivering roses to your study."

"What?" Arthur asked in shock. "Was it you?"

"I've already given you a really good hint, you need to come deeper for more."

Arthur lifted his chin and resolutely moved forward. As he drew closer, Alfred suddenly moved further back. "Hey, that's cheating!" said Arthur.

Alfred stuck out his tongue in an infuriating manner. "I never said I was going to stay in one place."

"You little stinker," Arthur growled and moved further forward until he was waist deep in the water. But each time he moved deeper, Alfred pulled out of his grasp. Before he realized it, they were both up to their necks in water, and Arthur cursed Alfred's extra height advantage. He wasn't going to be able to reach Alfred while still touching the bottom of the lake.

Alfred's smile softened and he reached out with his arms. "Just paddle like I showed you. I'm going to stay right here." Arthur took a deep breath and leaned forward. He paddled with his arms and kicked with his feet and quickly reached Alfred. He grabbed the blond's shoulders. Holding on to Alfred and swishing his feet beneath him, Arthur easily stayed afloat. He grinned in triumph. This wasn't so hard.

"Okay," Arthur said, now that he was comfortably treading water. " _Spill_ ," he demanded.

"I did give you the roses, but it was actually my brother who delivered them. He has this incredible ability to just not be noticed, y'know?"

"Where did you get the roses?" Arthur asked. He had wanted to know for two year.

Alfred grinned mischievously. "I stole them from the floral arrangement in the dining room. There were always so many roses, I figured they wouldn't miss a few."

"That's rather clever." Arthur admitted, embarrassed it hadn't occurred to him. "So…" he said, leading up to the important question, "Why?"

"Why the roses? I saw you one day in your garden, tending your roses, and you just looked really happy. I thought if I gave you a rose I could give you a bit of that happiness." Alfred smiled fondly at the memory. "You probably don't remember this, but the first time I saw you was when you were practicing archery. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. I thought you were about the coolest person I'd ever seen, no matter what everyone else said. And you know what? I was totally right."

"You are so ridiculously sappy," Arthur said, but he couldn't help but smile. He wrapped his legs around Alfred's waist and kissed him greedily.

"Swimming first, kissing later!"

Arthur sighed, but complied. They continued the lessons until they were both tired, and then returned to lie down on their blankets near the shore. Alfred quickly began to snore and Arthur watched contentedly. He glanced over sharply when he heard a rustling from the nearby underbrush, but relaxed when he saw a unicorn emerge from the woods. The magical creature took a few step forwards and lightly nuzzled Alfred's cheek.

"Enjoy him while you can," Arthur teased. The unicorn huffed in disapproval.

Alfred roused at the sound of Arthur's voice and blinked his eyes. He completely failed to notice the magical creature at his side. "Hey Arthur," he said with a yawn, "I've been thinking."

"Always dangerous."

"Should we start telling people? You know, about us?"

Arthur tensed. "I think... I'd prefer to wait a little longer." He didn't want to think about how his parents would react when they discovered he was in a serious relationship with a commoner. He already knew what his mother would say. She wouldn't care that he was the king, just that Alfred and his parents and his parents' parents were as common as muck. Arthur would have to deal with their disapproval and recriminations at some point, but he didn't want to worry about it just yet.

They continued the lessons until Alfred declared Arthur to be an expert swimmer. By that point, the kissing had progressed far beyond kissing and the unicorn had completely lost interest in Alfred.

After the final week of swimming lessons, Arthur returned to his work with a satisfied expression. The smile disappeared from his face as soon as he saw his father and Stuart waiting for him in his study. He could tell from their grim expressions that he wasn't going to like the news. Stuart broke the silence.

"Seamus has been kidnapped."


	17. Black and Blue

_In which the Clockwrights demand Arthur's resignation, the fairies fool the clock, and Diamonds sends an urgent message._

"You were supposed to be guarding him!" Arthur shouted, furious that Seamus had been kidnapped from the Kirkland family residence.

"Guarding him from escaping, not guarding him from kidnappers!" Stuart yelled back.

"Twelve masked people stormed the manor house, captured Seamus, and set the house on fire. They left a ransom note," Lord Kirkland said in a cold, calm voice. He handed the note to Arthur.

Arthur sat down heavily. So his vision when he first touched the clock _had_ meant a literal fire. He thought it was a metaphor for his family falling apart or his brother's murder attempts. Unfortunately, prophetic visions only seemed to make sense in hindsight. "Is Mother alright?" he asked without glancing up.

"Shaken up, but unharmed. Gavan is with her right now," Stuart replied.

As Arthur read the note, he groaned. It was from the Clockwrights, who demanded that Arthur resign before National Day if he wanted his brother to live. In their note, the group promised they would return Seamus safely on the midnight after National Day if the minute hand on the Queen's Clock stopped ticking. They didn't ask for a public proclamation, saying that they simply wanted to replace Arthur with a candidate of their own.

"Obviously, resigning is completely out of the question," Lord Kirkland said as he took the seat across from Arthur.

"What?" Arthur and Stuart asked simultaneously.

"Spades lacks a princess, so its Queen cannot resign. It would plunge the country into another period of uncertainty. Your duty to the country is more important than your brother. We cannot negotiate with revolutionaries."

Arthur sat silently, chilled that his father could so easily condemn his child to death. He didn't like his brother, but he wasn't going to let him be killed by a group of crazy rebels. Especially when he suspected they wanted Seamus to serve as a martyr for their cause. The brother that Arthur had twice condemned. He shook his head at his father's suggestion. "We have a week," he said. "We'll find another way."

* * *

 

The atmosphere in the castle was tense as Chun-Yan ordered additional protection for all of their family members to guard against an additional kidnapping attempt. Despite its military power, Spades had never needed strong security for the royals and the castle. But they didn't know what the Clockwrights would do next. In the quest for more information, Chun-Yan sent all of Spades' spies to seek out information on the Clockwrights.

As much as Alfred desperately wanted to help, Arthur managed to convince him that he would help best by staying safe. If Arthur found it hard to cope with an attack on a brother he didn't even like, he didn't know what he would do if someone hurt Alfred.

By the end of the week, Arthur had a plan. He told the Royal Council that he had a way to stop the minute hand without actually resigning his position. He did not tell them that it worked because the fairies could control the minute hand for him. They gasped in surprise and readily agreed to the plan. At noon on National Day, Arthur faked his resignation. He nodded to the fairies, which was their signal to hold the minute hand still on the Queen's Clock. All that was left was the waiting.

At midnight, instead of joining the National Day festivities, which continued in the city despite the tense situation in the Castle, the King, Queen, Jack, full Royal Council and a number of hand-selected guards waited in the Grand Hall. At one minute after midnight, the hand remained unmoving. Shortly thereafter, two guards dragged in a whimpering young girl.

"Your majesty, she was carrying this message," one of the guards said. The guard saluted and handed the message to Alfred, who read it and handed the note to Arthur with a worried look. Arthur blanched as he read the note. It said that the false Queen had proven his ability to fool the clocks, marking him as an imposter. Because he had failed to resign, the Clockwrights had executed Seamus and they promised to execute Arthur next. He passed the note to Chun-Yan and heard her mutter "nàgè húndàn" under her breath as she finished. It didn't sound like a nice phrase. They all knew what the note meant.

Someone on the Royal Council was a spy.

Arthur allowed himself a moment of grief and then, refusing to show any weakness, he began issuing his orders. He told the guards to question the young messenger and let her go if she knew nothing. He informed the Royal Council that Seamus was dead and said that he would be providing guards for all of them. The guard's true purpose would be to watch for the traitor.

Responding with remarkable self-control, Lord Kirkland bowed his head and left to inform the rest of the family. The others withdrew in varying states of shock, although at least one was faking the reaction. With his plan in ruins, Arthur walked to the Queen's Clock and pushed the minute hand forward. The fairies let go with a sad glance and the hand resumed its quiet ticking.

Alfred wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "I'm so sorry," he murmured.

"We will find them and punish them," Chun-Yan agreed, a hard glint in her eyes. She patted Arthur's shoulder and then left to question the messenger and her spies.

"What do you want to do next?" Alfred asked.

"I should... make up for the fact that we didn't celebrate your birthday," Arthur replied. Wanting to feel normal again, he wandered over to the Castle kitchens. Alfred followed on his heels with a worried look on his face. At this hour, there was no one in the kitchen to force Arthur to leave. A small part of his brain decided that late-night baking should have occurred to him earlier. He reached for the bowls and started mixing ingredients into a lumpy black dough. "It's hard to believe it's been a whole year since you became King," he said as he slipped the lumpy scones into the oven. If he focused on something else, his brother's death wouldn't hurt.

"Yeah, it's been interesting," Alfred agreed, playing along with the conversation for Arthur's sake. He wrapped his arms around Arthur and pulled him into a tight hug. "Of course, the best part is having you as Queen."

Arthur wasn't sure how long they spent in that position. Something in his brain had just shut down and didn't start up again until he noticed the oily black smoke filling the room. Reacting quickly, he pulled out of the embrace and saved the scones from the oven. If they were slightly overdone, it was Alfred's fault for distracting him with romantic twaddle.

"I know I always criticize your lack of wrapping, but I can't really wrap scones, so, here you are." He put the scones onto a plate and handed the result to Alfred. "Happy Birthday."

"Oh, wow." Alfred took one of the scones with a look of trepidation and munched slowly. "How do you make them so crunchy?" he asked.

"Well, the egg shells help."

Alfred gulped down the scone. His smile seemed a bit forced, but Arthur blamed the stress of recent events. "Is it true that you once killed a guy with your scones?" Alfred asked.

"That's absurd!" Arthur scowled. "He was only in a coma!" He didn't know why people insisted on spreading that story. It wasn't even his fault. Gilbert was probably allergic to scones or something. He had taken only one bite before he passed out. Or more likely, he passed out as a result of the alcohol they had both consumed earlier and the scone was merely a coincidence.

"Right, right. Well, uh, thanks. I'm going to save these for later," Alfred said with a fixed smile. "Time for bed?"

Arthur didn't complain when Alfred climbed into his bed and held him tight. After losing someone close to him, he just wanted to know that Alfred was safe. Sleep came slowly and it offered little respite. Arthur wondered what to do next. He felt like he should go visit his family, but he didn't know what to say. They couldn't really blame him for Seamus' death when his father had been willing to give up entirely, could they? At least he had tried. Unwilling to face his family, he spent the next week buried in his study, attempting to ignore Alfred's increasing worry and Chun-Yan's blood-thirsty plans.

* * *

It was past midnight and Arthur's current pile of work was not making any sense. Arthur decided it was time for the rum. Two glasses later, the work still didn't make sense, but Arthur couldn't bring himself to care. After five glasses, Arthur didn't even remember why he had bothered with the work in the first place, although he did discover that the desk made a nice pillow.

Arthur heard the knocking on the door. He was too comfortable on his pillow of papers to respond. The knocking came again, louder than before. "Go away," Arthur managed to growl, his head still lying on the desk. The door opened anyway. Arthur groaned at the sudden burst of light.

"I brought your dinner, since you missed it earlier… hey, you shouldn't sleep at your desk," Alfred said as he closed the door behind him.

"I'm not sleeping," Arthur replied, rising unsteadily to his feet. "I'm drinking. There is a difference. The difference is rum."

"Uh-huh," Alfred said, walking closer. He reached out an arm to steady Arthur and glanced over at the bottle. "How much rum?" he asked.

"All of it. All of the rum. It's why the rum is _gone_."

"Well, that's enough for tonight then. Time for bed, yeah?"

"Yes to bed, but not to sleep." Arthur grabbed Alfred's lapels, pulled him forward, and planted a rough kiss on his lips. Alfred reached out one hand to the desk to steady himself and then slowly moved his other hand to Arthur's back, pulling Arthur forward and deepening the kiss. Arthur let go of the lapels and wrapped his arms around Alfred's neck. In the daze of alcohol, Arthur decided that Alfred had improved a lot from their kissing lessons, but that he still had a lot to learn. He told this to Alfred, who laughed and agreed.

Arthur wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the snogging, but at some point his legs stopped supporting his weight. He leaned fully on Alfred, who responded by shifting his arm to support Arthur's back and using his other arm to scoop up Arthur's legs.

"Don't carry me like a princess," Arthur complained. "I'm a Queen." But it didn't seem worth it to squirm out of Alfred's grip, so he rested his head against Alfred's chest. Lost in a pleasant haze, Arthur barely noticed when they entered his bedroom and vaguely felt himself being lowered onto the bed. He closed his eyes as gentle hands removed his shoes and his jacket. Next came a feather-light kiss on his forehead.

"For the record, this doesn't count."

"Hmm?" Arthur asked, opening his eyes and fighting to stay conscious.

"My plan to take you out drinking. It doesn't count if you get drunk on your own."

"Not drunk," Arthur slurred. "Got amazin' tolerance." He felt fine, although he wondered when Alfred's twin brother had decided to come into the room and stand next to Alfred. Then he disappeared. Yeah, Matthew tended to do that. He asked Alfred, who only laughed.

"Good night, Arthur."

Arthur was going to make a witty retort or perhaps comment on the spinning ceiling, but he decided to pass out instead.

The next morning, Arthur couldn't remember how he had gone from sleeping on his desk to sleeping in his bed, but it didn't seem important given the pounding in his head. Then Alfred appeared with two cups of coffee, which provided a solution to both problems. Arthur drank some of the nasty coffee that Alfred insisted on keeping around and swore for the hundredth time that he would never drink again.

* * *

When Arthur felt better, he joined Alfred and Chun-Yan to make their next plans to counter the Clockwrights and avenge Seamus' death. What they needed was better information. Connecting them to the Spades web of spies, messengers had rushed in and out of Chun-Yan's office almost non-stop since National Day.

So it came as no surprise when another breathless messenger arrived and dropped off a message. However, the message itself was quite unlike the others judging by the look of horror on Chun-Yan's face as she read it.

"What happened?" Arthur asked, leaning closer to read the message himself. He paled.

Hearts had declared war on Diamonds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nàgè húndàn (那个混蛋) = that bastard.


	18. The Deep Blue Sea

_In which Alfred joins the rebellion, Arthur mounts a rescue, and Matthew throws a punch._

Alfred and Arthur packed immediately and made ready to leave on the evening tide. As much as he personally disliked King Francis, Arthur recognized that Diamonds was a valuable ally. He still hoped there was something he could do to prevent war with Queen Kiku. It was hard to imagine the quiet Queen of Hearts suddenly ordering an attack on anyone. The boat bustled with people Arthur didn't recognize, likely gathered at the last minute to help on the emergency trip.

As he climbed into the belly of the ship and made his way to the royal cabin, Arthur grimaced, unhappy with the thought that he might have to defend the Queen he detested from the Queen he liked best. But before they could reach the room, Arthur felt a subtle shift in the ship's movements. He steadied himself against the wall and frowned. It felt like someone had let go of the rudder. "Something's wrong," he warned.

"What is it?" Alfred asked, following on Arthur's heels as they headed back to the deck.

Before they finished climbing the ladder to the deck, they were immediately surrounded by a circle of swords. Arthur glanced to one side and saw the three guards and captain João tied up, with their mouths gagged. "Pleased ye could join us," a familiar voice said.

"Seamus?" Arthur asked in shock. His brother grinned back at him. Arthur narrowed his eyes. "You bloody bastard!" he spit out, pissed that his supposedly kidnapped brother was very much alive and working with the Clockwrights. 

They didn't have much chance against men with swords, but that didn't stop Alfred from tackling one man as Arthur kicked the legs out from underneath another. Despite their best efforts, both the king and queen found themselves trapped underneath a pile of rebels, with very sharp swords pressed against their necks.

"Tie them up," Seamus ordered. Still struggling, Alfred and Arthur were bound and dumped near the other prisoners. It seemed Seamus was interested in talking; he left them both ungagged. Arthur silently and swiftly slipped his hands free from the ropes, being careful to leave enough in place so it still looked like he was bound. Trying not to take his eyes off Saemus, he glanced around deck to estimate the likelihood of taking back the ship.

The odds didn't look good. He could see at least eight armed people on the deck.

Hoping to come up with some sort of a plan, Arthur turned his head to look over at Alfred. The king was glancing over the side of the ship and seemed to be trying to gauge the distance to harbor. As he turned back to look at Arthur, Alfred whispered, "Untied?"

Arthur gave him one tiny nod to let him know that his hands were free. "There are too many," he whispered back. Attacking them would be a suicide mission.

Before Arthur could come up with some other plan, Seamus strode over and pressed his boot against Arthur's chest. Arthur wanted to punch the smirk from his face, but he kept his hands still behind his back.

"Look at those lovely gallows," Seamus said. "I'm going to use that for your execution."

Arthur turned his gaze to the scaffolding near the edge of the docks. Many years ago, it was used to hang pirates to warn others that they would face the same fate. Now it provided a place for seagulls to roost. Arthur turned back to look at Seamus. "You'll be arrested as soon as you touch the dock," he warned.

"I don't think so. You'd be surprised how easy it is to bribe dock workers. How else do you think we got on this ship?"

Arthur cursed himself for not spotting the trap earlier and scowled at Seamus. "I should have had you executed when I had the chance!" he growled.

"You should have resigned when you had the chance. Now you're going to pay for deceiving the clock."

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Have you been working for them this entire time?"

"Of course not! I didn't join until you decided you'd rather have your stolen throne than save your brother's life."

"Hey, have we met before?" Alfred asked Seamus, interrupting the tense conversation. "You look familiar."

"What?" Arthur and Seamus both asked at the same time, turning to look at Alfred in surprise. 

Arthur glared at Seamus. "You _did_ meet him, remember? He tried to drown me." 

"Oh, that," Alfred said with a laugh. He turned to Seamus and gave him a cheerful smile. "Hey, I hope there's no hard feelings. Now that I've gotten to know Arthur, I've totally wanted to push him off a boat a few times myself."

"What?" Arthur gasped, dismayed and disbelieving. He had been betrayed by his brother; had Alfred been waiting to betray him too? He stared at Alfred with wide eyes, looking for some hint of love in the face he knew so well. Instead of affection, he saw cold fury. The anger seemed strange on Alfred's face. Even at their worst moments, Alfred had never looked at him like this, with an exaggerated scowl and frown.

"Don't act so surprised," Alfred snapped. "You're always ordering me around and I'm sick of it. I'm the King! I'm not some pawn for you to move across the board at a whim!"

Arthur shook his head in disbelief, feeling a rush of pain and anger. "So this was your plan, to toss me overboard when the time was right?" he said, matching Alfred's scowl with his own. He was unwilling to show the pain in front of his murderous brother, so we went with the anger instead. "You lying bastard!"

"Yes!" Alfred yelled with a strange gleam in his eye, seeming almost happy.

Seamus frowned as he watched the shouting match between the King and Queen. "Okay, prove it," he said to Alfred.

"Prove what?" Alfred tried to look confused, but Arthur could tell he was faking it.

"Push him overboard and I'll let you be king," Seamus promised. 

"You wouldn't _dare_ ," Arthur hissed, his voice full of venom. If nothing else, Alfred should have known it was pointless to push him overboard. That was the whole point of his swimming lessons. 

Alfred tilted his head towards the guards tied up next to them. "Swear that you won't hurt these guards. They're just doing their jobs." They tried to shift away from him, their faces were filled with disgust at his betrayal.

"Of course," Seamus agreed cheerfully. "I'm not a monster. I've only come to punish the guilty." He grinned at Arthur and taunted him, "This time no one can save you from drowning."

Resisting the urge to snap back a witty retort, Arthur glared at Alfred. He watched as the king glanced between the rapidly approaching shore and the gallows on the dock. The guards and rebels held their breath while they waited for the king to make his choice. He turned back to Seamus. "I'll do it," he said.

Seamus nodded and cut Alfred's bonds free, although he continued to watch them carefully, as if expecting Alfred to make a sudden decision to fight back.

In his heart, Arthur hoped that Alfred would try exactly that. He knew they wouldn't succeed, but he didn't want to think that Alfred would betray him and join Seamus's rebellion to save his own life. As they walked to the edge of the ship, Arthur kept hoping for some change in Alfred's demeanor. But nothing chance and they quickly reached the gap in the railing where the boarding planks hooked to the dock. Arthur could feel Alfred toying with his ropes as he led him forward, as if checking to make sure that Arthur's hands were actually free. Arthur felt another brief flicker of hope. If Alfred was still loyal, he would jump off with him and they would swim to shore together. Arthur held onto that hope until the last second, when he found himself staring at nothing but dark blue water in front of him.

"Go for a swim, Artie!" Alfred shouted as he pushed Arthur off.

Despite his fury and his heartbreak, Arthur still remembered his swimming lessons. He took a deep breath before he hit the water. Once underwater he dropped the ropes from his wrists and unclasped his cloak. It sank to the bottom, leaving Arthur with more ability to maneuver. As his lungs begged for air, he swam underwater as far as he could make it. In the twilight gloom, he hoped no one would be able to see him. Arthur surfaced for a quick breath before swimming underwater even further. When he surfaced again, he looked for the docks and began making his way there, still swimming underneath the cover of the waves. Although the waves rolling inward had made the swim easier, Arthur was tired when he reached the docks. He hid under the piers, safely concealed from prying eyes as he caught his breath.

Careful to move without making any loud splashes, Arthur bent double as he waded under the piers to the spot near where the _Spadille_ would be docked. He heard the stomp of boots pass overhead and the familiar sound of Alfred's voice.

"Actually, there's an older tradition," Alfred said.

"Really?" Seamus responded.

"Well, yeah, they didn't always have the clocks..."

Arthur seethed to hear Alfred and Seamus chatting. He wished he could hear the rest of what Alfred hard to say, but they were quickly out of earshot. He stayed still for a few minutes after they had left. Judging by the number of people that passed overhead, there likely weren't many left on the ship. Arthur climbed a ladder on the side of the pier and peeked above the walkway. Certain there was no one in sight, he stepped onto the walkway. He outlined the next steps in his mind.

Step one, find a weapon.

Step two, rescue the guards on the _Spadille_.

Step three, re-take the castle.

Step four, stop Seamus.

Step five, deal with Alfred.

Step six, prevent a war between Hearts and Diamonds.

Arthur was in luck for the first step. He quickly found a stout wooden pole nearby, one of the poles used to push ships off from the docks. With the makeshift stave in one hand, he quietly made his way over to the _Spadille_ and silently walked up the boarding plank. There was no one on the top deck. Arthur listened carefully, but could hear no one moving over the sound of the ship creaking gently as it swayed with the movement of the waves.

The captain's room was one of the few rooms with a lock, so he decided that was the most likely place to put the prisoners. Arthur snuck into the galley to grab a knife. He was going to need it to free the prisoners. Walking as quietly as possible, Arthur approached the captain's room. A quick glance confirmed that no one was guarding it from the outside, but that still left the possibility of a guard inside the room. Arthur watched the door for a few moments before deciding to simply knock. If there was a guard inside, they might think Arthur was a friend if he knocked.

After check that the door was locked, Arthur knocked. A moment later, he heard a thump, followed by softer thumps moving closer to the door, and then a sound like someone knocking their head against the door. Arthur was inclined to think this meant that Seamus had simply left the prisoners locked up without a guard.

"The door is locked, but I don't know where to find the keys or hairpins," Arthur said, speaking loudly so that whoever was in the room could hear his voice through the thick wooden door. The thumping against the door grew more insistent.

Arthur glanced around the hallway and swore. He needed to find a crowbar or an axe or… he glanced at the small knife in his hand.

"I've got a knife I can slide under the door," he said. "Give me two thumps if you think you can use the knife to free your bonds. One thump if you can't, and I'll figure something else out." He waited. Two thumps. Arthur slid the knife under the door.

He heard more scuffling and after a minute a voice saying "Freedom!" excitedly. It sounded like Logan. A person opened the door and it was Logan. He gaped at Arthur and then grabbed him in a big bear hug. "Arthur! It is you! You're alive! Crikey mate, it's good to see you!"

After Logan let him go but before Arthur could catch another breath, he suddenly felt João hug him as well. "Good to see you, meu amigo!" he said. Even Sven gave him a small smile and a nod. Arthur smiled back, touched by their concern. It was good to know that not everyone had abandoned him tonight. At the thought of Alfred's strange actions, he frowned. Alfred might have betrayed him, but he didn't want the guards to think that he had tried to murder him.

"Alfred wasn't trying to kill me," Arthur explained. "He knows I can swim."

"What's he planning to do with Seamus?" Logan asked.

Arthur shook his head. "I have no idea. But I damn well plan to find out."

Because it didn't feel safe to stay at the ship, they made their way along the docks and into the lower village to Logan's house. He handed Arthur a dry set of clothing. The clothes were too big, but they were better than his soaked garments. Arthur's next concern was for the rest of his family.

"Can you send for Peter and Hong?" he asked. "I want to make sure they're safe." Logan nodded and sent Wy to fetch the two boys.

"We can sneak in through Angelique's room," Logan suggested. "Riley has gone to visit her at night before. I doubt Seamus would provoke war by attacking an ambassador. And she should be able to give us an update on the situation inside the castle."

They made a quick plan. The guards were currently completely unarmed—their weapons most likely being used by the Clockwrights or lying at the bottom of the harbor. They would enter via Angelique's rooms, steal weapons from the store rooms, and then re-take the Castle. Hong, Wy, and Peter would each set off firework distractions at different locations close the castle. Admittedly, the plan lacked many essential details, but Arthur didn't have much information to rely on.

Since no one was supposed to know that Logan was home, the quiet knock on the door came as a surprise. Riley walked over to the door and peeked out the window suspiciously. Her suspicion instantly melted into a smile. "It's Matt!" she called back to the room and opened the door to let Matthew in.

Before he said anything, Matthew raced towards Arthur and grabbed him in a tight hug. "You _are_ okay!" he said, pulling back to look at Arthur, only to hug him again even more tightly. "We were all so worried!"

Arthur patted him on the back. "I take it word of my early demise has reached the castle?"

Matt nodded, his wide violet eyes wide and frightened. "They said Alfred killed you. It's complete chaos at the castle, the guards aren't sure what to do because Alfred ordered them to stand by, but they're not sure if they should listen to an accused murderer. Seamus is claiming that he's the rightful queen and no one wants to attack him because he's surrounded by his 'clockwrights.' They have something planned for midnight."

"Where's Chun-Yan?"

"No one knows. She disappeared."

"And what is Alfred doing?"

Matt bit his lip. "He seems to be helping with the plans. I went to find him when I heard the rumors and I, uh," he looked embarrassed, "I slightly punched him in the face. I feel bad about that now, eh."

"What did he say?"

"He told me that you were alive and needed my help, that I should go to Logan's house and I would probably find you there. If you weren't here, he said I should get Riley's help to go rescue the guards from the _Spadille_."

Arthur's heart lightened considerably after hearing Matt's words. Alfred was only pretending to help Seamus. He was still loyal to Arthur. "What about Seamus, did Alfred say what the plans were?" he asked.

"Sorry, someone came in before we could finish talking and I slipped out." Matt looked so apologetic that Arthur couldn't help but pat his shoulder.

"No need to apologize, you've been more than helpful. I feel better knowing that Alfred's on our side, helping us from the castle."

Matt looked confused. "I really want to believe that… but, Al's never been good at lying. If he's helping Seamus, I think he means it, eh."

"No, he's actually quite a talented liar," Arthur responded, before realizing that he wasn't actually helping Alfred's case.

"You want us to trust him because he's a liar?" Logan asked incredulously.

Arthur sighed. They really didn't have time for this. "No, you know what? Just trust _me_."

With Arthur in the lead, they kitted up in dark clothes and made their way stealthily to the castle.


	19. Midnight Blue

_In which Angelique receives late-night visitors, Arthur demonstrates his archery skills, and Seamus has a midnight snack._

Under the cover of darkness, Riley silently led the way through a Castle side entrance and past the gardens to Angelique's rooms. Riley followed narrow paths, avoiding any areas with guards or other people. Arthur quickly realized Riley had made this trip many times before, wondering exactly what Riley's relationship with Angelique was. Eventually they arrived underneath Angelique's windows, hidden from sight by several lilac bushes. Riley tossed a pebble at the window. It hit with a soft plink. After several painfully long moments, Angelique opened the window. She smiled when she saw Riley and gaped when she saw Arthur.

"Eyebrows?" she asked in shock.

"Yes, yes, I'm not dead, may we come in?" he replied impatiently. Coming back from the dead certainly involved a great deal of explanation. Angelique nodded, too shocked to say anything further. The six of them climbed in through Angelique's window and breathed a sigh of relief. They had successfully infiltrated the castle.

Angelique finally recovered enough to tell them what she knew. She didn't have much to add past what Matthew had told them. Seamus and the twelve Clockwrights had entered the castle with Alfred one hour ago. They had invited the ambassadors to attend some special event in the Grand Hall at midnight, but she had no idea what it was.

In the distance, Arthur could hear the sound of fireworks exploding, the signal that Peter, Hong, and Wy had begun the distractions. They thanked Angelique and snuck into the hallway, and everyone except for Matthew headed toward the weapon storage room near the training yard. Matthew left in the other direction to continue spying on the Clockwrights and talk to his brother if he had another chance.

Fortunately for Arthur, the hallways were deserted. The servants had probably fled the castle and everyone who stayed undoubtedly decided it was safer to stay hidden in their rooms with the doors safely bolted. Arthur blessed their cowardice as they reached the weapons room completely unnoticed. Once inside, each member of the impromptu reconnaissance force grabbed their favored weapon. For himself, Arthur took a bow and quiver of arrows.

Now sufficiently armed, they were ready to retake the castle. They only needed one more person to return. "Where's Matthew?" Arthur asked.

"I'm right here," said a quiet voice behind the Queen. Arthur jumped and nearly yelped. "We should hurry, eh. They're gathering the Royal Council in the Grand Hall and I don't think they want to invite them for a spot of tea."

"Well, of course not, mate, it's almost midnight. Tea time is in the afternoon," Logan replied.

"Matthew, get the guards, but don't let them attack before my signal. Remind them not to hurt Alfred," Arthur ordered. "We'll be at the Grand Hall," he said as he watched the young man disappear. Turning to the others, Arthur asked, "Is everyone ready?"

When they nodded, he led the way out and through the hallways. He walked with an arrow notched to his bow, prepared to shoot at any moment. As they drew closer to the Grand Hall, he could hear the sounds of people in the hallway. Arthur peeked around one corner and spotted Chun-Yan splattered in blood and holding a butcher's knife. He was bent over a body, trying to stem the bleeding. Arthur raced forward with the others close behind.

Chun-Yan looked up when she heard them approach. "I'm sorry. I didn't reach him in time," she said. There might have been tears in her eyes, or it might have been a trick of the light.

Arthur opened his mouth and closed it as he identified one of the bodies on the floor as his father. He didn't recognize the two—presumably they were Clockwrights. Despite the shock of seeing his father's dead body, he managed to kneel down next to Chun-Yan. "Are you okay?"

She looked down at her clothes and nodded. "Don't worry, it's not my blood." She looked up at the others and gave them a grim look. "The rest are in the Grand Hall," she warned, tightening her grip on the knife.

Arthur nodded. "Chun-Yan, Alfred and I have a plan. Don't attack until I give the signal, alright?" The first sentence was a lie, but he recognized the murderous look in Chun-Yan's eyes and didn't want her to attack immediately. Arthur gave his orders in a whisper and they split into two groups. João and Sven left to hide near the balcony doors of the Grand Hall, ready to jump in as soon as the fighting started and catch anyone who tried to escape via the balcony. Arthur, Logan, Riley, and Chun-Yan stationed themselves along the inner hallway doors.

From his spot near the door, Arthur could hear Alfred talking inside. He listened closely, intently planning his next step. Alfred said cheerfully, "...so anyways, before the clocks they used these. The scones of stone." The assembled group of people gasped in horror, apparently these "scones" were a terrifying sight.

Alfred continued. "At exactly midnight, the candidate eats one of the scones and becomes Queen if they can eat the whole scone. See, they're actually stone, but they turn into a scone for the rightful ruler. I'll demonstrate." Arthur thought he could hear the sound of heavy chewing. Arthur scowled, realizing that these must be the scones he had baked for Alfred for his birthday. He was unhappy that Alfred was mocking his baking and he really didn't see any way that eating the scone was going to stop Seamus.

"That's it?" Seamus sounded doubtful.

"Yeah, this country sure has wacky traditions. But this Council loves tradition, so they'll totally recognize you if you eat this scone. Isn't that right, guys?"

Arthur could hear a chorus of coerced agreement from the Council. A familiar voice cried out in anger. It sounded like Stuart. "Ye'll never be the rightful Queen, ye murdering wanker!"

"Hey, look, it's almost midnight!" Alfred cried, interrupting him. "You gotta eat the scone of stone or you'll never be Queen!"

"Oh," Arthur murmured to himself, suddenly realizing why Alfred was so insistent on the midnight deadline. Without the fairies to hold the clock back, everyone would realize that he was still alive as soon as the clock continued ticking after midnight. They might not notice for the first few minutes (even Arthur had failed to spot the moving minute hand until a couple minutes past midnight on the day he was chosen), but as soon as they did, Alfred was in serious trouble.

The Queen peeked through the doorway and saw his brother Seamus hesitantly reach for one of the scones. Seamus closed his eyes and stuck in his mouth with a look of tremendous distaste. For a moment, Arthur thought he would successfully swallow. But Seamus suddenly spasmed and fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

"Anyone else?" Alfred asked, holding out the plate of scones. He picked one and flung it, aiming for a clockwright's gaping mouth. The scone glanced off the side of her mouth and she collapsed.

"Now!" Arthur screamed, leaping into the room as he saw the remaining clockwrights swarm toward Alfred. He notched his arrows and shot two in quick succession. Chun-Yan took down another with a flash of her butcher's knife. Four charged at Logan and Riley. Arthur hit one with an arrow, but the one behind him reached Arthur before he could grab another arrow. Arthur backed away, but didn't succeed in dodging the sword that cut across his belly. He rolled to the side, rose in a single fluid motion and tripped the rebel with his bow. Another quick arrow ensured that the man wouldn't stand up again.

And then it was over as quickly as it had started. Arthur's head felt fuzzy now that the battle was over and the adrenaline had worn off. The wound from his stomach was bleeding freely and hurt like hell. Through the haze of pain, he began to make out shouting from the Grand Hall.

"I keep telling you, Arthur's fine!" Alfred sounded both exasperated and panicked. "Or look at the clock, look at the Queen's Clock!" he yelled.

"Do ye honestly expect me tae fall for that?" Stuart asked, his voice heavy with scorn.

Arthur stepped over the body at his feet and stumbled forward. He had to save Alfred before his brother killed him. "Stuart, stop, I'm fine!" he shouted.

"Arthur?" Stuart asked, looking as shocked as Arthur had ever seen him. Stuart had maneuvered Alfred against the wall, a bloody sword pointing directly at the king. Alfred still had his hands in the air, but his face broke out into a huge grin when he spotted Arthur.

"Arthur!" Alfred cried happily.

Stuart crossed the distance between them in seconds and grabbed Arthur in a fierce hug. "Ye're lucky I dinnae kill that bloody numpty you call a king," he said hotly, although Arthur could tell the fierceness of the statement came out of worry.

Arthur felt light-headed from the hug and the unexpected show of affection from his gruff brother. He looked down to see blood seeping through his clothes and realized he was actually dizzy from blood loss. "I need a doctor," Arthur mumbled, before dropping his bow and falling forward. Stuart caught him and laid him gently on the floor.

Alfred was kneeling at his side in a second, grasping Arthur's hand tightly. "Stay with me, Arthur, they're getting a doctor right now," he said as he ripped his jacket and began applying pressure to the wound. Arthur hissed in pain, drawing Alfred's gaze to his face.

"Is everyone alright?" Arthur asked.

Alfred glanced around the room while still maintaining pressure on the wound. "Uh, let's see, Logan and Riley, João and Sven… and Chun-Yan. They seem okay… well, physically at least." He raised his voice louder and yelled, "Chun-Yan, that guy's already dead, you can stop chopping!"

Alfred grimaced, looking at the wound and then back to Arthur's face. "Come on, stay with me, Arthur."

Arthur lifted up a hand to cradle Alfred's face. Alfred stared at him, blue eyes bright with fear and worry. It was hard to focus, but if he ever said it, he was going to have to say it now. He couldn't take the risk he wouldn't have a chance to say it later.

"I love you," Arthur whispered. And then the world went black.


	20. True Blue

_In which Chun-Yan attends a funeral, Alfred develops common sense, and _Arthur reforms the Royal Council_._

Arthur woke up slowly, feeling the soft bed under his back and the pain from his abdomen. Considering the alternative, he was grateful for the pain. Pain meant that he was still alive. Wincing as he lifted his head, he glanced over and in the early dawn light saw Alfred sleeping in a chair next to the bed. Arthur reached for his hand and whispered his name, "Alfred."

The other man raised his head and blinked. When he saw Arthur looking at him he smiled so widely it seemed his head would split. "You're okay!" he cried, his voice filled with relief.

"I've felt better..." Arthur murmured. He tried to sit up, but darkness swallowed the edges of his vision. As he sank back into the pillows and unconsciousness, he felt Alfred squeeze his hand and murmur reassuring words. The gentle voice swirled around Arthur, providing a comforting cushion in a world of pain.

* * *

The next time Arthur woke up, the pain had decreased to a dull ache and he could see from the light shining through his window that it was late afternoon or early evening. This time when he glanced over, he saw Alfred reading a book next to the bed. Arthur wondered if this was a dream—Alfred never read books willingly. He lifted himself on his elbows to see what the book title was.

"Up again?" Alfred asked, glancing over when he heard the rustling sheets. He set the book down and smiled. "How do you feel now?"

"Better. Much better. What happened? How long have I been out?"

"Just a day, but a lot's happened." Alfred took a deep breath and delivered the news. "The message from Diamonds was a trap. There was no declaration of war. Someone in Diamonds got bribed to send it. And the traitor on the Council confessed. I guess he had a lot of gambling debts that the Clockwrights helped pay off. Chun-Yan still doesn't know where they got the money, but one of them claims he caught a Leprechaun." Alfred laughed.

"And Seamus?"

"Still unconscious." Alfred's smile disappeared as he responded. He stared at the floor and sighed. "Arthur, I'm sorry, I should have come up with a better plan."

"No, it wasn't your fault," Arthur reassured him. He smiled ruefully. "And it was a good plan. You had even me fooled for a little while."

"Yeah, well, the Royal Council isn't too happy with me. I think they're still debating whether to keep me under house arrest." He grinned. "Good thing they don't know about the secret passage."

"They want to do _what_?" Arthur demanded angrily. He started to climb out of bed so he could give the Council a piece of his mind, but Alfred pushed him back down.

"You're not getting out of this bed until the doctor says okay."

"The injury can wait! I need to defend your honor."

Alfred shook his head and gazed at Arthur fondly. "Oh, sweetheart. My honor can handle it. Your wounds can't." He leaned closer and nuzzled Arthur's cheeks, tears welling in his eyes. "I love you. You know that right? How much I love you?"

"I know," Arthur replied, but it felt good to hear it, and it felt even better to have Alfred climb in bed next to him. After the terror of the past week, he wanted to do nothing more than hold Alfred and sleep until the pain was completely gone.

* * *

The doctor gave Arthur permission to leave his bed three days later. His first stop was to visit Seamus, who had finally awoken from his scone-induced coma. Although Arthur worried about an angry outburst, he arrived to discover that Seamus had trouble focusing on the people in front of him and didn't even remember his own name.

Arthur resigned himself to never learning his brother's true motivations. He would never know if Seamus converted to the Clockwright cause after being kidnapped, like he had claimed on the ship, or if he had planned to escape with them from the very beginning, which, honestly, seemed far more likely. Arthur regretted failing to take the opportunity to speak with his brother when he had the chance. The surviving Clockwrights asserted that Seamus had supported them from the very beginning, but Arthur chose to believe that they were lying to pin the blame on someone who could no longer defend himself.

Recognizing the role he had played in his brother's corruption, he made the decision to forgive. He wouldn't execute his brother and he wouldn't send him back to Foulness. The family renamed him James and listed Seamus Kirkland as dead. With the mental state of a child, James returned to the rebuilt Kirkland estate. If he ever regained his memories, Arthur would have to deal with him, but until that day, James would have to remain a prisoner of his own mind.

They buried Lord Kirkland on the family estate. Many of the nobles of Spades attended, including Chun-Yan and Hong. Stuart delivered the eulogy, describing his father's dedication to his family and to Spades. "Even in his final moments, Father dedicated his life to fighting against the rebels that he believed had murdered one son and subverted another. His bravery will not be forgotten," Stuart said as they lowered the coffin into the ground. 

Arthur stood at the head of the line of mourners. He dropped white chrysanthemums onto the coffin and silently bowed his head. His father might not have been a loving man, but he was a dutiful one. He just wished that they could have shared more in common. They only true love they had shared was a love of Spades.

As the rest of the mourners paid their respects, Arthur sought out the solitude of his family's gardens. He missed Alfred. The king had stayed behind, partially because the Royal Council still didn't trust him and partially because he thought that attending the funeral would be in bad taste. No matter how many times Arthur reassured him that it wasn't his fault, Alfred still felt responsible for Lord Kirkland's death.

Lost in his thoughts, Arthur wandered amid the rose bushes until he heard the sound of quiet sobs. Unsure what to do, he followed the sounds closer. "Are you okay m—" he started to say, but he froze in his tracks as he rounded the corner and found himself face to face with Chun-Yan.

She blinked back with puffy, red-rimmed eyes. She shook as tears streamed down her face.

"It wasn't your fault," Arthur reassured her. "You did everything you could to save him."

"It's not that" Chun-Yan rubbed her eyes, trying to stop the flow of tears. "It's Hong."

"Does he know?" Arthur asked carefully, remembering her negative reaction the last time he had asked about her brother.

"Yes." She nodded. "But I think that _you_ still don't understand."

"I lived with the man for twenty-three years, I think I knew him pretty well."

"He was willing to claim Hong as his son. I said no to protect _my_ reputation, not his."

Arthur's eyes widened when he realized what Chun-Yan was telling him. Hong wasn't her brother, he was her son. He did the math and realized that Chun-Yan was nearly the same age as his father, even though she looked far younger. She had been Jack for more than a decade by the time Arthur was chosen and she had become Jack in her late 20s, when the previous Jack resigned.

"Your father was willing to take him and raise him as a Kirkland, but he wasn't willing to leave his family. So I chose to keep him and my parents agreed to raise him as their son."

"That wasn't a fair choice," Arthur protested.

"Ah, you're starting to sound like Alfred now, aru," she said, one lip quirked upward in a half smile. She shook her head and sighed. "I just don't want you to hate him for any of this. I... I hated him for a long time, but I've forgiven us both now."

"You didn't have to tell me this," Arthur said, still trying to digest the new information.

"I know. But Hong never knew his father... at least he should know his brothers." Chun-Yan began to cry again and Arthur held her close, comforting her as best he could. As much as he wished that he could share her sorrow, it wasn't possible. She had known a different man. Arthur wished he could have known that man as well. Perhaps what he had always interpreted as his Father's coldness and aloofness was actually regret.

When she finished crying he walked with her back to the crowd of mourners. It looked like Chun-Yan would get her wish; he could see Hong sitting next to Peter. Arthur rested his hand on her shoulder. "For what it's worth, I think he made the wrong choice. None of us were happier living a lie."

* * *

Despite his mother's pleas, Arthur returned to Ace as quickly as he could. He was worried about what would happen between Alfred and the Royal Council in his absence. He needn't have worried too much. When Arthur returned, he found Alfred sitting in the Queen's garden, once again reading a book.

"You're back!" Alfred cried happily, tossing the book onto the table as he leapt up to wrap Arthur in his arms.

"It's good to see you too," Arthur replied. He smiled up at Alfred and then, curiosity piqued, reached for the book.

Alfred flushed and snatched it away before Arthur could read the spine. "Promise you won't get mad," he replied.

"Mad? Why would I be angry with you for reading a book?" Arthur chuckled at the absurdity. "Alfred, I spent months _pleading_ with you to read more books." As a thought occurred to him, he arched an eyebrow. "Is it a book Elizabeta lent you?"

"No." Alfred bit his lip. "Just, promise first."

Arthur held up his right hand. "I solemnly swear. Now show me this book that has you so engrossed."

"Here." Alfred handed over a small volume, barely more than a pamphlet really. As much as Arthur tried to convince him to read heavier tomes befitting a king, Alfred always did prefer small books to larger ones, and he loved best the ones with pictures. This book didn't seem to have any pictures, but it was certainly small enough. The title was 'Common Sense.' Arthur chuckled, thinking that Alfred could use more common sense. His smile disappeared as he read the author byline. The author had the same name as one of the Clockwrights.

"Is this one of them?" he asked, frowning.

"You promised not to get mad."

"I'm not mad. But considering the source...."

Alfred sat back down into his chair with a disappointed sigh. He gave Arthur a pleading look. "When I was with them, they explained the philosophy behind their ideas and, well, it wasn't completely crazy. I'm starting to think that magical clocks aren't a stable basis for a system of government."

"So what do you propose?" Arthur asked. He recognized the glimmer in the King's eyes when he had one of his 'amazing' ideas.

"Take power away from the King, Queen, and Jack," Alfred said. "Give it to the Council of Representatives." He stared at Arthur with his clear blue eyes, anxiously waiting for his response and his approval.

"I see." Arthur sat down and tried to sort through his jumbled thoughts. As much as he wanted to defend the tradition of the clocks, even he could see that the people had started to lose faith in them. And without belief... magic couldn't work. "I think I'm going to need some tea," he said, taking the book away from Alfred and starting to read it for himself.

Over the next week, Arthur spent most of his time thinking. The other nobles left him alone, assuming that he was still mourning the death of his father. Even though Arthur didn't find the short book as absorbing as Alfred had, it cemented his understanding of the divide in Spades between the nobles and the commoners. The Clockwrights believed that the Queen's Clock was an elaborate hoax used by nobles to pick the royalty for themselves. They didn't believe in magic, so they didn't believe in the clock's choices. The plan had always been to take control of the clock and pick the candidates themselves.

Although he had crushed the plot, Arthur realized that it was symptom of a larger disease. Without faith in the clock's magic, the people would never have faith in their Queen. But it was a problem he didn't know how to solve.

Late at night, Arthur padded through the hallways of the sleeping castle. Hoping for some answers, he wandered into the Grand Hall and stood before the Queen's Clock. It stood dark and imposing, relying on magic so old that no one understood it anymore.

"Why me?" Arthur asked. He felt a whisper of wind on the nape of his neck and turned to see Lavender and Periwinkle fluttering closer. The two fairies landed on his shoulder and all three of them looked back at the Queen's Clock.

Periwinkle sighed. "It can only choose those with a touch of magic in their souls. And there are so few sensitive people."

"The clock is dying?" Arthur asked, worry in his eyes. He had felt the pervasive disbelief in magic his whole life, but it had never occurred to him that the clocks would suffer too. Even the strength of the tradition wasn't enough to keep it alive forever.

"No." Lavender shook her head. "Magic never dies. It only sleeps, to rise again when you need it most."

Arthur reached up and touched the face of the clock. He could feel that the magic was old and tired. Suddenly he understood why the clock had waited for him and Alfred to rule. It wanted someone who understood the politics and traditions of Spades and someone who believed in the wide-open possibilities of the future to lead Spades into a new age. For the first time since he had become Queen, Arthur felt that he had a task only he was capable of completing.

The era of the fairy tale Kingdom was over. It was time to push forward into a new and uncertain future.

* * *

When the Royal Council and the Council of Representatives held their joint meeting to determine the fate of the surviving Clockwrights, Arthur made good on his promise to defend Alfred's honor when he and his reforms came under attack.

"This is what comes from trying to appease troublemakers!" one lord insisted. "We should end these silly reforms and force him," the lord pointed at Alfred, "to resign. His ideas brought this madness upon us."

"Don't be absurd," the representative from Ace retorted. "Your hidebound attitudes are what's holding us back. At least he tried to make the system better."

After much bickering, they turned to their Queen for guidance.

"There was a flaw in the reforms," Arthur agreed. "They didn't go far enough."

To the astonishment of the gathered nobles and representatives, he laid out his proposal for a new system of government. The hereditary council would continue its advisory role as a House of Lords. The representatives would gain new powers in a House of Commons. And in place of a King, Queen, and Jack, he proposed a Prime Minister and appointed ministers. The attack was an opportunity in disguise to build the foundation for a new tradition. Two weeks earlier, the council would have brushed his suggestions aside. But now they had seen one of their own die and watched another turn traitor. They had seen the old world order nearly crumble and fall, leaving them more open to new ideas for change. They were still dubious and resistant to change, but Arthur could see a few nods and thoughtful looks that gave him hope for the future. The elected representatives reacted positive and even the younger nobles came out in full-throated support once they realized that this change would allow them to serve as rulers instead of waiting for the royalty to die.

Unsurprisingly, the King proved to be the biggest supporter of them all. "That's brilliant!" Alfred said, nodding enthusiastically once Arthur finished laying out his plans.

"I suppose you want _him_ to become Prime Minister?" one lord asked.

"We won't allow it!" another snapped.

"Of course not," Arthur replied calmly. He placed his palm on his chest. " _I_ intend to stand for election. We cannot rely on the clocks any longer to make the choices for us. The Prime Minister must be someone with the support of the people." 

"You think that's you?" the lord replied with a snicker. After much debate, they agreed to the plan. Arthur suspected that they supported the elections just because they assumed he would lose.

"I still think it's an awesome idea," Alfred said, grabbing Arthur's hand as they left together at the end of the meeting.

"You don't mind that I got rid of your position?"

"Nah. The King is pretty much a figurehead anyway. Everyone knows the Queen has all the power." He gave Arthur a soft smile as he tugged him into a quiet alcove, far from prying eyes. "You taught me that, remember?"

Arthur smiled back. "Life's a little more complicated than a game of chess."

"Yeah." Alfred gulped as he lifted Arthur's hands, clasping them in the small gap between them. "No matter what happens, I'll always stand by your side. You have my vote and..." he flushed nervously as he dropped to one knee. "...and my hand if you want it."

"Yes! Of course I do!" Arthur cried, kneeling down to throw his arms around Alfred's neck and kiss him soundly. In the hidden alcove where they had first kissed on New Year's Day, they kissed again, and this time it was a promise of a lifetime together.


	21. Old, New, Borrowed, Blue

_In which there is an election, a wedding, and fireworks._

Preparing for the elections and the creation of a new form of government was an exercise in controlled chaos. Arthur sought out the support of local leaders, promising that he would help them transition to a fairer, more democratic government.

In addition to playing the role of the charming fiance, Alfred contributed in his own unique way, bringing in a few flag designs to help the country represent its new government. "You've got to have a great flag," he explained as he showed Arthur the designs. "My mom made some to choose from! You won't be disappointed, Betsy R. Jones is the best seamstress in Ace."  
  
"This one is nice," Arthur said, pointing to a flag with a horizontal tricolor of sky blue on top, navy blue on bottom, and white in the center. In the white band were five blue spade symbols.  
  
Alfred smiled broadly. "Yeah, I like that one too. Mom describes it as 'United Between Sky and Sea.' The light blue is the sky and the dark blue is the sea. The spades represent the main island and the territories." It truly was a beautiful flag, leaving Arthur completely unsurprised when the House of Commons adopted it as the new flag for the United Republic of Spades.

He was somewhat more surprised when he won the election for Prime Minister in a landslide. Alfred just smiled and told him that the best candidate had won. With a supportive partner at his side, Arthur got on with the business of governing Spades while Alfred happily planned their wedding. He offered the position of Finance Minister to Chun-Yan, but she turned him down. After two decades at the helm, she explained, she was ready for a quieter life.

* * *

The weather on the day of the wedding was beautiful and clear. The entire ship was decorated with careful arrangements of red roses, white violets, and blue asters. Arthur felt immensely proud of how beautiful the _Spadille_ looked thanks to his mother's generosity. She had denuded the family greenhouse, but the visual effect was completely worth it. Unfortunately, his mother stopped him from helping with the flowers, so there was nothing to keep Arthur's mind off of his nervous jitters. He wasn't worried about the marriage itself, but there were so many parts of the ceremony that could go wrong.

For lack of anything better to do, Arthur began to pace nervously in the ship's main cabin, picturing all of the worst case disaster scenarios in his head. His mind had already sped past the commonplace disasters—the musicians forgetting their sheet music, the cake falling into the harbor, Francis showing up uninvited—and had moved on to imagining a giant sea beast swallowing the ship whole when he heard the door open.

Arthur stopped and turned. "Alfred, you're not supposed to be here, it's bad luck," he chided.

"Pretty sure that only applies to brides, and I don't see any brides around, do you?" Alfred asked with a smile, before leaning in to give Arthur a quick kiss.

Arthur gave Alfred an appraising look. "You look magnificent in that suit," he said, It was true, Alfred normally looked good, but in the suit he was bloody gorgeous.

"Meh, personally, I can't wait to get out of it."

"Mmm-hmm." Arthur reached out to straighten Alfred's collar.

"You know, later tonight."

"Mmm." Arthur refused to comment as he continued to fiddle with the collar.

"When you rip it off of me and toss it on the floor."

"Don't be ridiculous, I'll be sure to fold it carefully."

"Don't I know it," Alfred said with a laugh. "Do you remember that time you made me fetch the tie from the garden after I accidentally tossed it out the window?"

Arthur smiled. He _did_ remember. Especially how handsome Alfred had looked standing naked in the garden as he hunted for the tie. Just thinking of it, he was a little tempted to break another wedding tradition, but he resisted and instead fetched a jewelry case from the cabin drawers. "Before I forget, there's something I wanted you to wear," he said, lifting out a pair of spade-shaped sapphire cufflinks. "These belonged to my grandfather," he explained as he fastened them to Alfred's cuffs.

"Wow." Alfred turned his sleeves from side to side and beamed. "You sure you don't want to wear them yourself?"

Arthur shook his head. "No, it's for you. Something old, borrowed, and blue." They both wore new suits, taking care of that portion of the old adage. "I know it's just a silly old tradition—"

"—hey, cufflinks are the sort of tradition I can get behind," Alfred replied, interrupting him with a smile. "What did you borrow?"

"Stuart lent me Father's old golden pocketwatch and chain," he said, pulling the watch out of his pocket. Arthur and Stuart weren't exactly friendly brothers (certainly nothing like Alfred and Matthew), but ever since their father's death, Arthur had learned to recognize the undercurrent of affection in their relationship. He began to realize that he had allowed the memories of childhood teasing and bullying to color his interpretation of his brother's actions even as an adult. He doubted that his eldest brother _liked_ him, but he no longer questioned that Stuart loved him.

"And blue?" Alfred asked, pulling Arthur back to the present. Instead of replying, Arthur lifted a piece of paper out of pocket and opened it to show Alfred the pressed blue flower inside. "A flower?" Alfred asked.

"It was the flower you gave me on your coronation day."

"You kept that? Aw, Arthur, I always knew you were a secret sap."

"I'd have to be, to put up with you." Arthur huffed, but his face quickly relaxed into a smile as his fingers gently brushed the flower, remembering the last time he and Alfred had walked through a public ceremony together. They had pledged themselves to their country then, and Arthur believed they had fulfilled that promise. Now they could promise their lives to each other.

Alfred and Arthur walked arm-in-arm between the filled rows of chairs on deck and towards the make-shift altar near the ship's forecastle. The chairs were overflowing with Alfred's family and his hordes of cousins. Arthur's family looked much smaller in comparison, but his mother made up for it with her loud sniffles. She didn't like the idea of Arthur marrying a commoner, she had admitted, but Alfred was growing on her and at least this way she had some chance of getting adopted grandchildren. After looking at the guests, Arthur found his attention drawn to the front of the ship. Standing at the altar was a tall woman in a thick red coat with an impressive pirate hat and an eyepatch. She was even carrying a parrot on her shoulder.

"I told you to find a _captain_ to officiate!" Arthur hissed in a low whisper.

"She is a captain! That's Juliana, João's sister. I asked her to dress up like a pirate captain because those are the captain-iest captains of them all," Alfred whispered back, although his idea of a 'quiet' whisper was anything but.

Arthur groaned. "I can't believe I'm getting married to an idiot by a pirate."

"A pirate _captain_ ," Alfred corrected.

They arrived at the front and Juliana took that as her cue to start the ceremony. "Ahoy me mateys, we be gathered here today fer the grub and the grog, and ta watch these two walk the matrimonial plank, yarr." Arthur resisted the urge to bury his head in his hands. He was never going to let Alfred choose the marriage officiant ever again. "Are ye wantin' the pirate vows or ye own vows?" she asked.

"Ooh, our own vows!" Alfred said excitedly.

"What are the pirate vows?" Arthur asked.

"I, blank, hereby claim this here booty. Yar." Juliana said with a wink, clearly enjoying her pirate role far too much.

Arthur winced. "We'll go with our own vows."

"Me first!" Alfred exclaimed excitedly. He took Arthur's hand and they both turned so that they were facing each other. Alfred smiled happily and looked at Arthur like he was the only person in the world. "Arthur, you're so awesome and you always make me smile, even when you frown. In fact, _especially_ when you frown. But I still like your smiles best. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. No matter what happens, I will always be by your side. Also, I promise I will never push you off a ship again."

"You'd better not!" Arthur retorted. He realized it was his turn for vows and fidgeted slightly, unsure where to start. "Alfred, you're bullocks at wedding vows and I can't believe you thought a pirate ceremony was a good idea, but…" Arthur sighed and then began to smile. "But I wouldn't marry anyone else. I want to wake up by your side every morning. Always and forever."

"By the power vested in me as a pirate captain, I declare ye to be wed. Ye may now claim yer booty," said Juliana.

They leaned forward and kissed. And in that moment, even the silly pirate ceremony felt sublime.

Next came congratulations and the cake, and there was plenty of both. Alfred's parents were the first to greet the newlyweds, quickly grabbing their son in a big hug and then pulling Arthur in as well. It was no surprise where Alfred learned his easy affection.

"It's so good to have you as part of the family!" Alfred's mother said with a sniffle. "You have to call me Mom now!"

"Of course... Mom," Arthur said before he had the breath completely knocked out of him by another bone-crushing hug. He could tell where Alfred got his strength.

"Mom, Mom, let him have some air!" Alfred said with a laugh, pulling his husband away from his mother.

Arthur gasped for breath when he was finally released. Matthew gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "You'll get used to it, eh." He added in a whisper, "Just watch out for when she starts talking about wanting grandbabies." Arthur felt a hint of panic. It was bad enough having one mother with grandchildren on her mind. He wasn't sure he was ready for two! Despite his worried expression, the congratulations continued to pour in.

"Way to go, mate!" said Logan in his booming voice, slapping Alfred on the back. Arthur quickly stepped out of the way to avoid receiving a congratulatory slap himself. He nodded at Riley, who smiled back. Even Angelique smiled and handed Arthur a small present.

"A hairpin?" he asked, surprised. There was also a small, folded map showing a course to an island he didn't recognize.

"It's a good luck charm to get you out of tight places, eyebrows," she explained. "And let's face it, your messy hair needs all the help it can get."

"I'm overwhelmed by your generosity, pigtails," Arthur teased back.

She laughed. "That's why I also included the map to an island that my family owns. It's a very beautiful place for a honeymoon, if you're still in need of a destination."

"Thank you, Angelique."

"You're welcome, Arthur."

After the grooms finished with the receiving line, the guests stacked the chairs out of the way to make room for dancing on the deck. An orchestral quartet played softly in the background as the guests mingled. Arthur and Alfred waltzed for their first dance, since Arthur had finally, _finally_ , succeeded in teaching the dance to Arthur. Following the first waltz, the quartet switched to playing music for folk dances, which Arthur and Alfred joined as well. After a few more dances, Arthur took a break to drink some punch, making sure it was nonalcoholic this time.

He spotted Kiku standing quietly along the side of the ship and walked over to greet his friend. "Kiku, I'm glad you could come."

Kiku smiled and nodded. "Thank you for inviting me, Arthur-san. Although I notice that Elizabeta-san isn't here?"

Arthur shrugged. "Her invitation must have been lost." It had been lost. Lost to the depths of the sea. Arthur had made sure of that. He liked Elizabeta, but he knew that she would try to spy on them in the Captain's quarters. She simply didn't understand the concept of personal privacy.

Mei soon joined them, smiling at Kiku as she slipped her arm into his. "Congratulations! Remember to toss the bouquet! I know some people who would _love_ to catch it," she said with a wink.

"What bouquet?" Arthur asked. He and Alfred had pinned flowers to their labels, but neither had carried a bouquet down the aisle.

"Oh. Right." She frowned in disappointment.

Arthur chuckled. "If you want one that much, just put together a bouquet from the floral decorations. I'm sure Alfred would be happy to toss it for you," he suggested. As he expected, Alfred was thrilled with the request. The first bouquet flew into the harbor (Alfred didn't realize his own strength sometimes), but Mei successfully caught the second. She waved at Kiku with the flowers in her hand and he smiled back slightly. From anyone else, the smile would look half-hearted, but Arthur could tell it was the Kiku equivalent of Alfred's broadest grin.

"Looks like we'll have another wedding soon," Chun-Yan said with a fond sigh.

Arthur nodded, thinking to himself that he much preferred the weddings to funerals. "How's Hong?" he asked.

"He's doing well. He's started making his own fireworks now. I think he even made some for your wedding."

"This is what I get for leaving Alfred in charge of the wedding," Arthur replied with a fond shake of his head. He would have preferred a slightly more traditional wedding, but if it made Alfred happy, then it made him happy too.

After twilight, they watched the fireworks from the ship's rail. Arthur rested his head on Alfred's shoulder as Alfred curled his arm around Arthur's waist. The sight of green, blue, red, and white sparks lit up the harbor and drew appreciative oo _hs_ and _ahs_ from the guests. Arthur didn't know how he managed it, but Alfred even found a firework that created a heart-shaped explosion. Arthur thought the fireworks were nice, but he decided the best part was the shining grin on Alfred's face and the sparkling lights reflected in his eyes.

"And after this, I'm gonna make you see fireworks again," Alfred wished into Arthur's ear.

"Darling, if you keep up the corny lines, I will push you off this ship," Arthur whispered back.

Alfred pouted playfully. "Ah, Artie, I thought we promised no more ship pushing at the wedding."

"You promised. I made no such vow," Arthur reminded with a smirk.

"I love you, you meanie."

"I love you too, idiot."

The next morning they left for a month-long honeymoon, sailing together into the wide blue yonder.

* * *

In the United Republic of Spades, the people elected the rulers. Or to be more precise, those over the age of 18 voted for the Prime Minister and the House of Representatives. It was the perfect melding of old and new. The Royal Council, renamed the House of Lords, took on an advisory role, and remained the target of continuous calls for reform despite its limited power. After a very successful term as Prime Minister, Arthur passed on the torch to someone new after another successful election and peaceful transition of power. Despite Arthur's best efforts, politics remained as greedy and venal as always. He liked to describe it as the worst form of government, except for all others that had been tried. Arthur wondered sometimes what would have happened if he had stuck to the tradition of the clock, imagining the Spades-that-might-have-been as the clock's magic slowly faded, but he never regretted his choice.

The Queen's Clock became an ordinary timepiece, marking the constant passage of time. There were those who claimed, however, that the magic inside the clock was merely sleeping. In a time of great need, they said, a new leader would arise. One as fair and wise as Arthur Kirkland, the last Queen and first Prime Minister of Spades.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alfred would make an amazing political spouse, and no one can convince me otherwise. It's all of the hand-waving and charm with none of the hard decisions ;)


	22. Highly Abridged Omake

**Humorous Recap Theater Presents…**

**The Last Queen of Spades: Highly Abridged**

**Chapter 1**

_Arthur_ : I'm the Queen? SHOCK.

 _Alfred (waves)_ : Hey, I'll be showing up in 3 chapters!

 _Chun-Yan_ : Oh god, I'm stuck in a USUK fic, aren't I? *sigh*

**Chapter 2**

_Arthur_ : I'm diplomatic until someone mentions the eyebrows. Then it's personal.

 _Chun-Yan_ : You are going to get Spades into so many wars, aru.

**Chapter 3**

_Arthur_ : Watch out world, here comes pirate!Iggy.

 _João_ : This is going to be my only scene, isn't it?

 _Alfred_ : I haven't shown up yet, or _have_ I? *wink*

**Chapter 4**

_Alfred_ : Look at me, here I am! Let's get this story started!

 _Arthur_ : You want to be brothers? But this is a USUK fic!

 _Alfred_ : What does that mean?

 _Arthur_ : *facepalm*

**Chapter 5**

_Kiku_ : Sorry, Elizabeta, I'm not gay in this fic.

 _Feliciano_ : Neither am I!

 _Monika_ : I am.

 _Feliciano_ : And that's why I crossdress, ve~!

**Chapter 6**

_Arthur_ : Holy shit, I actually got Alfred drunk for once?

 _Alfred_ : *hic*

 _Chun-Yan_ : ARGH. I want to have some role in the plot!

**Chapter 7**

_Clockwright_ : Excuse me, one plot delivery for Mr. Kirkland

 _Arthur_ : Ah! The plot is trying to kill me.

 _Lord Kirkland_ : Hong, I am your father!

 _Hong_ : You're a terrible father!

 _Arthur_ : I like this kid.

**Chapter 8**

_Arthur_ : Ah! The plot is trying to kill me. Again.

 _Alfred_ : Don't worry, the hero will save you!

 _Arthur_ : Alfred is King. SHOCK.

**Chapter 9**

_Alfred_ : Stupid glasses *pouts*

 _Arthur_ : Actually, I have a glasses fetish.

 _Alfred_ : Really? Sweet :)

 _Yong Soo_ : Glasses were invented in Korea!

**Chapter 10**

_Alfred_ : My family is wonderful!

 _Arthur_ : My family is terrible!

 _Chun-Yan_ : Am I even in this story anymore?

**Chapter 11**

_Alfred & Arthur_: *kiss* and then *slap*

 _Kiku_ : And this is what happens when a tsundere loves a tsundere.

 _Alfred & Arthur_: We're not in love!

 _Kiku_ : Of course not. *smiles*

**Chapter 12**

_Alfred_ : Ooh look, a secret passage!

 _Arthur_ : I can think of a few uses *wink, wink*

 _Alfred:_ But this fic is T-rated!

 _Arthur:_ *cries*

**Chapter 13**

_Alfred (sings)_ : Popular, you're gonna be popular~!

 _Arthur_ : You mean I'm "going to" be popular.

 _Alfred_ : Not with that attitude, you ain't!

**Chapter 14**

_Arthur_ : Hey Alfred, want to hear a ghost story?

 _Alfred (leaps into bed with Arthur)_ : Eep!

 _Arthur_ : This is too easy... *evil grin*

**Chapter 15**

_Arthur_ : How do you stay so happy in your marriage?

 _Elizabeta_ : Oh, I just think about gay men all the time.

 _Arthur_ : How queer. So do I.

**Chapter 16**

_Alfred_ : Yeah, I gave you the roses, but Matt delivered them.

 _Arthur_ : Who?

 _Stuart_ : Stop screwing around and get back to the plot!

**Chapter 17**

_Arthur_ : No one kills my brother but me!

 _Chun-Yan_ : I take back everything I said about wanting to be involved in the plot. I think this plot is trying to kill us.

 _Arthur_ : Welcome to my life *sigh*

**Chapter 18**

_Seamus_ : Surprise! *captures Arthur*

 _Alfred:_ Surprise! *pushes Arthur off the ship*

 _Matthew:_ Surprise! *punches Alfred* 

**Chapter 19**

_João_ : I did not see that coming.

 _Sven_ : Alfred tricking the Clockwrights with scones?

 _João_ : No, I didn't think I'd show up in this story again.

**Chapter 20**

_Arthur_ : The Lady of the Lake held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. THAT is why I am your Queen.

 _Alfred_ : Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

 _Arthur_ : Huh. I think we may have wandered into the wrong story by mistake.

**Chapter 21**

_Arthur_ : Crap! It's the last chapter and we still haven't explained the colors.

 _Alfred_ : It's cool, leave this to me. I wrote a poem:

Red is for the love I have for you,  
Blue to prove I'll be forever true,  
White to guarantee my sincerity,  
Green for the joy you give to me.

 _Arthur_ : I love you *kiss* but you're a terrible poet *pushes Alfred off the ship*

 _Narrator_ : And they lived tsunderily ever after. The End.


End file.
